Altered dynamic functional connectivity associates with post-traumatic stress disorder
Yingliang Dai1,2, Zhou Zhou1,2, Feng Chen3
1School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, Jiangsu, China.
Brain Imaging and Behavior
|February 24, 2023
Summary
This study reveals dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) abnormalities in the Default Mode Network and cerebellum in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), impacting emotional regulation and self-referential thought.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to neural pathophysiology and altered functional connectivity.
- Previous research highlights impairments in the Default Mode Network (DMN) and cerebellum in PTSD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) on a whole-brain level in PTSD patients.
- To explore dFC characteristics in PTSD, comparing patients, healthy controls, and trauma-exposed individuals.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data from 27 PTSD patients, 30 healthy controls, and 33 trauma-exposed individuals were analyzed.
- Group spatial independent component analysis (ICA) with a sliding time window and k-means clustering identified two recurring functional connectivity (FC) states.
- Focus was placed on whole-brain dFC, particularly within the DMN and cerebellum.
Main Results:
- Two distinct FC states were identified: one with within-network concentration and another with strong inter-network connectivity.
- PTSD patients exhibited abnormal dFC within the DMN, between the DMN and cerebellum, and between the DMN and visual network.
- These dFC abnormalities correlated with PTSD symptoms like depression, anxiety, hypervigilance, and impaired cognitive/self-referential processing.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic functional connectivity alterations in PTSD suggest deficits in emotional modulation and self-referential thought processing.
- dFC patterns may serve as potential biomarkers for PTSD and its associated cognitive and emotional symptoms.
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