Functional connectivity alterations in post-traumatic stress disorder: A resting-state fMRI study of brain network...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Network Science

Background:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is increasingly understood as a disorder of disrupted whole-brain network coordination.
• Limited research has systematically integrated static and dynamic brain connectivity in PTSD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate both time-invariant and time-resolved brain connectivity in PTSD patients compared to healthy controls.
• To explore the relationship between brain connectivity patterns and cognitive function in PTSD.

Main Methods:

• Case-control study with 33 PTSD patients and 33 healthy controls.
• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess static and dynamic functional connectivity.
• Cognitive function was evaluated using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III.

Main Results:

• PTSD patients showed increased global connectivity density in the left insula and altered temporal variability in 25 connections across multiple circuits.
• No significant group differences in dynamic state transitions were observed after adjusting for comorbidity.
• In healthy individuals, reduced orbitofrontal/medial prefrontal connectivity variability correlated with better cognition, while in PTSD, increased sensorimotor/paralimbic variability correlated with poorer attention and memory.

Conclusions:

• PTSD is characterized by left insular hyperconnectivity and circuit-specific temporal instability.
• These findings support the model of PTSD as a whole-network dysregulation disorder.
• The identified spatiotemporal connectivity signatures may serve as potential biomarkers for PTSD.