Intrusive Traumatic Re-Experiencing Domain: Functional Connectivity Feature Classification by the ENIGMA PTSD...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Computational Psychiatry

Background:

• The Intrusive Traumatic Re-experiencing Domain (ITRED) is a new concept focusing on involuntary re-experiencing symptoms in posttraumatic psychopathology.
• ITRED proposes a novel perspective on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research, emphasizing intrusive memories, nightmares, and flashbacks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural network connectivity patterns associated with the Intrusive Traumatic Re-experiencing Domain (ITRED).
• To explore the utility of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in classifying individuals with PTSD, ITRED-only, and trauma-exposed-only (TE-only).

Main Methods:

• Utilized resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) data from 584 participants across 9 sites in the ENIGMA PTSD Consortium.
• Employed a machine learning approach (random forest classification) to differentiate between PTSD, ITRED-only, and TE-only groups based on rsFC signatures.
• Validated classification model performance using cross-validation and an independent test dataset, evaluating the area under the curve (AUC).

Main Results:

• rsFC signatures achieved approximately 60% accuracy in differentiating TE-only participants from both PTSD and ITRED-only groups.
• Classification accuracy was lower (45%) when attempting to differentiate between PTSD and ITRED-only individuals using rsFC.
• Default mode network (DMN) pathways were common features differentiating TE-only participants from PTSD and ITRED-only groups, while frontoparietal network connectivity showed unique differentiating patterns.

Conclusions:

• Neural network connectivity provides a neurobiologically based foundation for classifying posttrauma psychopathology, supporting ITRED as a distinct domain.
• Findings suggest that rsFC can differentiate general trauma exposure from specific posttraumatic symptom clusters, but distinguishing between PTSD and ITRED requires further investigation.