North Korean defectors with PTSD and complex PTSD show alterations in default mode network resting-state functional...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• North Korean defectors (NKDs) frequently experience trauma.
• Limited research exists on neural changes in NKDs with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (cPTSD).

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate neural alterations in NKDs with PTSD and cPTSD.
• Focus on resting-state functional connectivity networks, including the default mode network (DMN).

Main Methods:

• Assessed resting-state functional connectivity using fMRI in three NKD groups: no PTSD, PTSD, and cPTSD.
• Employed region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI and ROI-to-voxel analyses.
• Conducted post hoc correlation analysis with the Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale (CAPS).

Main Results:

• Found significant differences in DMN connectivity, thalamus, and basal ganglia functional connectivity among groups.
• Identified altered connectivity between the right hippocampus-left pallidum and right amygdala-left lingual gyrus.
• Observed group-specific correlations between CAPS scores and basal ganglia-DMN connectivity.

Conclusions:

• NKDs with PTSD and cPTSD exhibit altered functional connectivity in the DMN and limbic system, involving the basal ganglia.
• Basal ganglia-DMN connectivity alterations in patients suggest potential therapeutic targets for PTSD and cPTSD.