Resolving Heterogeneity in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Using Individualized Structural Covariance Network Analysis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is clinically heterogeneous, complicating understanding and treatment.
• Identifying neurobiological subgroups within PTSD is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate neuroradiological subgroups within PTSD using structural covariance networks.
• To explore the relationship between structural brain variations and PTSD symptom severity.

Main Methods:

• Constructed individual differential structural covariance networks (IDSCN) based on cortical thickness from T1-weighted MRI scans.
• Analyzed data from 89 individuals with PTSD and 89 matched trauma-exposed non-PTSD controls.
• Utilized hierarchical clustering to identify structural subtypes within the PTSD group.

Main Results:

• PTSD patients displayed significant diversity in structural covariance edges, primarily in default mode, ventral attention, and sensorimotor networks.
• These structural variations correlated with individual PTSD symptom severity.
• Two distinct neuroanatomical subtypes of PTSD were identified, differing in frontal cortex structural covariance.

Conclusions:

• Structural covariance deviations are common in PTSD and manifest in at least two subtypes.
• These findings illuminate the neurobiological underpinnings of PTSD heterogeneity.
• This research may facilitate personalized diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for PTSD.