Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 12, 2025
05:53
A Metric Test for Assessing Spatial Working Memory in Adult Rats Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: May 7, 2021
3.4K
Frontal Theta Event-Related Oscillations During a Continuous Performance Test: The Influence of Trauma Type and Fluid
Stacey Saenz de Viteri1, Ashwini Pandey1, Chella Kamarajan1
1Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Brain and Behavior
|August 5, 2025
Summary
Adolescent trauma exposure and genetic predisposition interact to affect cognitive control. Lower fluid intelligence polygenic scores (PGS) combined with nonsexual assaultive trauma reduced neural response inhibition during a task.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Psychology
Background:
- Adolescent trauma can impair executive function and neural development.
- Individuals with a family history of alcohol use disorders are at higher risk for trauma and cognitive deficits.
- Genetic factors may contribute to vulnerability, but the interplay of trauma and genetics on cognitive function is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the combined effects of polygenic scores (PGS) for cognitive function and trauma exposure on cognitive performance and neural activity.
- To examine how genetic predisposition for fluid intelligence interacts with different types of trauma exposure.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 912 individuals in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism cohort.
- Assessed main and interaction effects of fluid intelligence PGS and trauma exposure (nonsexual assaultive, nonassaultive, sexual assaultive).
- Measured performance and frontal theta event-related oscillations (EROs) during a continuous performance test (CPT).
Main Results:
- A significant interaction was found between fluid intelligence PGS and nonsexual assaultive trauma on CPT ERO power.
- Individuals with lower fluid intelligence PGS and nonsexual assaultive trauma exhibited reduced frontal theta ERO power during a cued no-go task.
Conclusions:
- Polygenic predisposition for fluid intelligence may influence neural response inhibition.
- The type of trauma exposure plays a crucial role in how genetic predispositions manifest in cognitive control.
