The aftermath of trauma on resting state source-level MEG microstate dynamics
Massimo Bertoli1, Pierpaolo Croce1,2, Filippo Zappasodi1,2
1Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University 'G. d'Annunzio' of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
|July 2, 2025
Summary
Trauma exposure alters resting-state brain dynamics. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients show altered fronto-parietal network activity, while resilient individuals exhibit distinct cingulo-opercular and sensorimotor network patterns.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Brain Dynamics
Background:
- Traumatic events can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but not all exposed individuals develop it.
- Neurobiological changes in PTSD are known, yet resting-state (RS) brain activity dynamics, specifically microstates (MS), are not well understood.
- This study explores RS brain activity in trauma-exposed non-PTSD (TENP) individuals versus PTSD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in RS brain activity dynamics between PTSD patients and TENP individuals.
- To utilize magnetoencephalography (MEG) and source-level microstate (MS) analysis to examine these differences.
- To identify specific brain network dynamics associated with PTSD and resilience after trauma exposure.
Main Methods:
- Collected RS-MEG recordings from 33 individuals (16 PTSD, 17 TENP).
- Applied eLORETA for source localization on individual cortical space, parcellated using the Human Connectome Project atlas.
- Performed parcel-level MS analysis to derive MS topographies and metrics.
Main Results:
- Identified four distinct MS topographies showing trauma-related modulations in RS dynamics.
- PTSD patients exhibited MS dominance in a bilateral fronto-parietal network, correlated with symptom severity.
- TENP individuals showed MS dominance in salience (right-lateralized cingulo-opercular) and sensorimotor (left-lateralized) networks, negatively correlated with symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Trauma exposure differentially impacts spatio-temporal dynamics of MEG oscillations.
- Resilience may involve successful integration of cognitive and sensorimotor processes, reflected in distinct resting-state brain dynamics.
- These findings offer insights into the neural underpinnings of resilience versus PTSD development after trauma.
Keywords:
PTSDResilienceResilienciaTEPTanálisis de microestadosmagnetoencefalografíamagnetoencephalographymicrostate analysistraumaMore Related Videos
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