Browsing by Author "Ely, Timothy D."
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Item Brain-Based Biotypes of Psychiatric Vulnerability in the Acute Aftermath of Trauma(American Psychiatric Association, 2021) Stevens, Jennifer S.; Harnett, Nathaniel G.; Lebois, Lauren A.M.; van Rooij, Sanne J.H.; Ely, Timothy D.; Roeckner, Alyssa; Vincent, Nico; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Zeng, Donglin; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Rauch, Scott L.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Storrow, Alan B.; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Musey, Paul I., Jr.; Haran, John P.; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Lyons, Michael S.; Kurz, Michael C.; McGrath, Meghan E.; Pascual, Jose L.; Datner, Elizabeth M.; Chang, Anna M.; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David A.; Domeier, Robert M.; O'Neil, Brian J.; Rathlev, Niels K.; Sanchez, Leon D.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Joormann, Jutta; Barch, Deanna M.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Sheridan, John F.; Luna, Beatriz; Harte, Steven E.; Elliott, James M.; Murty, Vishnu P.; Jovanovic, Tanja; Bruce, Steven E.; House, Stacey L.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; McLean, Samuel A.; Ressler, Kerry J.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineObjective: Major negative life events, such as trauma exposure, can play a key role in igniting or exacerbating psychopathology. However, few disorders are diagnosed with respect to precipitating events, and the role of these events in the unfolding of new psychopathology is not well understood. The authors conducted a multisite transdiagnostic longitudinal study of trauma exposure and related mental health outcomes to identify neurobiological predictors of risk, resilience, and different symptom presentations. Methods: A total of 146 participants (discovery cohort: N=69; internal replication cohort: N=77) were recruited from emergency departments within 72 hours of a trauma and followed for the next 6 months with a survey, MRI, and physiological assessments. Results: Task-based functional MRI 2 weeks after a motor vehicle collision identified four clusters of individuals based on profiles of neural activity reflecting threat reactivity, reward reactivity, and inhibitory engagement. Three clusters were replicated in an independent sample with a variety of trauma types. The clusters showed different longitudinal patterns of posttrauma symptoms. Conclusions: These findings provide a novel characterization of heterogeneous stress responses shortly after trauma exposure, identifying potential neuroimaging-based biotypes of trauma resilience and psychopathology.Item Hippocampal Threat Reactivity Interacts with Physiological Arousal to Predict PTSD Symptoms(Society for Neuroscience, 2022) Tanriverdi, Büşra; Gregory, David F.; Olino, Thomas M.; Ely, Timothy D.; Harnett, Nathaniel G.; van Rooij, Sanne J. H.; Lebois, Lauren A. M.; Seligowski, Antonia V.; Jovanovic, Tanja; Ressler, Kerry J.; House, Stacey L.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Bollen, Kenneth A.; Rauch, Scott L.; Haran, John P.; Storrow, Alan B.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Musey, Paul I., Jr.; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Kurz, Michael C.; McGrath, Meghan E.; Hudak, Lauren A.; Pascual, Jose L.; Seamon, Mark J.; Datner, Elizabeth M.; Pearson, Claire; Domeier, Robert M.; Rathlev, Niels K.; O'Neil, Brian J.; Sanchez, Leon D.; Bruce, Steven E.; Miller, Mark W.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Joormann, Jutta; Barch, Deanna M.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Sheridan, John F.; Smoller, Jordan W.; Harte, Steven E.; Elliott, James M.; McLean, Samuel A.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Murty, Vishnu P.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineHippocampal impairments are reliably associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, little research has characterized how increased threat-sensitivity may interact with arousal responses to alter hippocampal reactivity, and further how these interactions relate to the sequelae of trauma-related symptoms. In a sample of individuals recently exposed to trauma (N=116, 76 Female), we found that PTSD symptoms at 2-weeks were associated with decreased hippocampal responses to threat as assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Further, the relationship between hippocampal threat sensitivity and PTSD symptomology only emerged in individuals who showed transient, high threat-related arousal, as assayed by an independently collected measure of Fear Potentiated Startle. Collectively, our finding suggests that development of PTSD is associated with threat-related decreases in hippocampal function, due to increases in fear-potentiated arousal. Significance Statement: Alterations in hippocampal function linked to threat-related arousal are reliably associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, how these alterations relate to the sequelae of trauma-related symptoms is unknown. Prior models based on non-trauma samples suggest that arousal may impact hippocampal neurophysiology leading to maladaptive behavior. Here we show that decreased hippocampal threat sensitivity interacts with fear-potentiated startle to predict PTSD symptoms. Specifically, individuals with high fear-potentiated startle and low, transient hippocampal threat sensitivity showed the greatest PTSD symptomology. These findings bridge literatures of threat-related arousal and hippocampal function to better understand PTSD risk.Item Internal capsule microstructure mediates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and PTSD following adulthood trauma exposure(Springer Nature, 2023) Wong, Samantha A.; Lebois, Lauren A. M.; Ely, Timothy D.; van Rooij, Sanne J. H.; Bruce, Steven E.; Murty, Vishnu P.; Jovanovic, Tanja; House, Stacey L.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Zeng, Donglin; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Bollen, Kenneth A.; Rauch, Scott L.; Haran, John P.; Storrow, Alan B.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Musey, Paul I., Jr.; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Kurz, Michael C.; Swor, Robert A.; Hudak, Lauren A.; Pascual, Jose L.; Seamon, Mark J.; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David A.; Merchant, Roland C.; Domeier, Robert M.; Rathlev, Niels K.; O'Neil, Brian J.; Sergot, Paulina; Sanchez, Leon D.; Miller, Mark W.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Joormann, Jutta; Barch, Deanna M.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Harte, Steven E.; Elliott, James M.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; McLean, Samuel A.; Ressler, Kerry J.; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Harnett, Nathaniel G.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineChildhood trauma is a known risk factor for trauma and stress-related disorders in adulthood. However, limited research has investigated the impact of childhood trauma on brain structure linked to later posttraumatic dysfunction. We investigated the effect of childhood trauma on white matter microstructure after recent trauma and its relationship with future posttraumatic dysfunction among trauma-exposed adult participants (n = 202) recruited from emergency departments as part of the AURORA Study. Participants completed self-report scales assessing prior childhood maltreatment within 2-weeks in addition to assessments of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and dissociation symptoms within 6-months of their traumatic event. Fractional anisotropy (FA) obtained from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) collected at 2-weeks and 6-months was used to index white matter microstructure. Childhood maltreatment load predicted 6-month PTSD symptoms (b = 1.75, SE = 0.78, 95% CI = [0.20, 3.29]) and inversely varied with FA in the bilateral internal capsule (IC) at 2-weeks (p = 0.0294, FDR corrected) and 6-months (p = 0.0238, FDR corrected). We observed a significant indirect effect of childhood maltreatment load on 6-month PTSD symptoms through 2-week IC microstructure (b = 0.37, Boot SE = 0.18, 95% CI = [0.05, 0.76]) that fully mediated the effect of childhood maltreatment load on PCL-5 scores (b = 1.37, SE = 0.79, 95% CI = [−0.18, 2.93]). IC microstructure did not mediate relationships between childhood maltreatment and depressive, anxiety, or dissociative symptomatology. Our findings suggest a unique role for IC microstructure as a stable neural pathway between childhood trauma and future PTSD symptoms following recent trauma. Notably, our work did not support roles of white matter tracts previously found to vary with PTSD symptoms and childhood trauma exposure, including the cingulum bundle, uncinate fasciculus, and corpus callosum. Given the IC contains sensory fibers linked to perception and motor control, childhood maltreatment might impact the neural circuits that relay and process threat-related inputs and responses to trauma.Item Neighborhood Disadvantage and Neural Correlates of Threat and Reward Processing in Survivors of Recent Trauma(American Medical Association, 2023-09-05) Webb, E. Kate; Ely, Timothy D.; Rowland, Grace E.; Lebois, Lauren A. M.; van Rooij, Sanne J. H.; Bruce, Steven E.; Jovanovic, Tanja; House, Stacey L.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Bollen, Kenneth A.; Rauch, Scott L.; Haran, John P.; Storrow, Alan B.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Musey, Paul I., Jr.; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Swor, Robert A.; Pascual, Jose L.; Seamon, Mark J.; Datner, Elizabeth M.; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David A.; Merchant, Roland C.; Domeier, Robert M.; Rathlev, Niels K.; Sergot, Paulina; Sanchez, Leon D.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; McLean, Samuel A.; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Ressler, Kerry J.; Harnett, Nathaniel G.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineImportance: Differences in neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics are important considerations in understanding differences in risk vs resilience in mental health. Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with alterations in the function and structure of threat neurocircuitry. Objective: To investigate associations of neighborhood disadvantage with white and gray matter and neural reactivity to positive and negative stimuli in the context of trauma exposure. Design, setting, and participants: In this cross-sectional study, survivors of trauma who completed sociodemographic and posttraumatic symptom assessments and neuroimaging were recruited as part of the Advancing Understanding of Recovery After Trauma (AURORA) study between September 2017 and June 2021. Data analysis was performed from October 25, 2022, to February 15, 2023. Exposure: Neighborhood disadvantage was measured with the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) for each participant home address. Main outcomes and measures: Participants completed separate threat and reward tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Diffusion-weighted and high-resolution structural images were also collected. Linear models assessed the association of ADI with reactivity, microstructure, and macrostructure of a priori regions of interest after adjusting for income, lifetime trauma, sex at birth, and age. A moderated-mediation model tested whether ADI was associated with neural activity via microstructural changes and if this was modulated by PTSD symptoms. Results: A total of 280 participants (183 females [65.4%]; mean [SD] age, 35.39 [13.29] years) completed the threat task and 244 participants (156 females [63.9%]; mean [SD] age, 35.10 [13.26] years) completed the reward task. Higher ADI (per 1-unit increase) was associated with greater insula (t274 = 3.20; β = 0.20; corrected P = .008) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; t274 = 2.56; β = 0.16; corrected P = .04) threat-related activity after considering covariates, but ADI was not associated with reward reactivity. Greater disadvantage was also associated with altered microstructure of the cingulum bundle (t274 = 3.48; β = 0.21; corrected P = .001) and gray matter morphology of the ACC (cortical thickness: t273 = -2.29; β = -0.13; corrected P = .02; surface area: t273 = 2.53; β = 0.13; corrected P = .02). The moderated-mediation model revealed that ADI was associated with ACC threat reactivity via cingulum microstructural changes (index of moderated mediation = -0.02). However, this mediation was only present in individuals with greater PTSD symptom severity (at the mean: β = -0.17; standard error = 0.06, t= -2.28; P = .007; at 1 SD above the mean: β = -0.28; standard error = 0.08; t = -3.35; P < .001). Conclusions and relevance: In this study, neighborhood disadvantage was associated with neurobiology that supports threat processing, revealing associations of neighborhood disadvantage with neural susceptibility for PTSD and suggesting how altered structure-function associations may complicate symptoms. Future work should investigate specific components of neighborhood disadvantage that may be associated with these outcomes.Item Neighborhood Resources Associated With Psychological Trajectories and Neural Reactivity to Reward After Trauma(American Medical Association, 2024-07-31) Webb, E. Kate; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Ely, Timothy D.; Lebois, Lauren A. M.; van Rooij, Sanne J. H.; Bruce, Steven E.; House, Stacey L.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Bollen, Kenneth A.; Rauch, Scott L.; Haran, John P.; Storrow, Alan B.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Musey, Paul I., Jr.; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Swor, Robert A.; Murty, Vishnu P.; Hudak, Lauren A.; Pascual, Jose L.; Seamon, Mark J.; Datner, Elizabeth M.; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David A.; Domeier, Robert M.; Rathlev, Niels K.; O'Neil, Brian J.; Sergot, Paulina; Sanchez, Leon D.; Joormann, Jutta; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Harte, Steven E.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; Ressler, Kerry J.; McLean, Samuel A.; Harnett, Nathaniel G.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineImportance: Research on resilience after trauma has often focused on individual-level factors (eg, ability to cope with adversity) and overlooked influential neighborhood-level factors that may help mitigate the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Objective: To investigate whether an interaction between residential greenspace and self-reported individual resources was associated with a resilient PTSD trajectory (ie, low/no symptoms) and to test if the association between greenspace and PTSD trajectory was mediated by neural reactivity to reward. Design, setting, and participants: As part of a longitudinal cohort study, trauma survivors were recruited from emergency departments across the US. Two weeks after trauma, a subset of participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during a monetary reward task. Study data were analyzed from January to November 2023. Exposures: Residential greenspace within a 100-m buffer of each participant's home address was derived from satellite imagery and quantified using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and perceived individual resources measured by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Main outcome and measures: PTSD symptom severity measured at 2 weeks, 8 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after trauma. Neural responses to monetary reward in reward-related regions (ie, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, orbitofrontal cortex) was a secondary outcome. Covariates included both geocoded (eg, area deprivation index) and self-reported characteristics (eg, childhood maltreatment, income). Results: In 2597 trauma survivors (mean [SD] age, 36.5 [13.4] years; 1637 female [63%]; 1304 non-Hispanic Black [50.2%], 289 Hispanic [11.1%], 901 non-Hispanic White [34.7%], 93 non-Hispanic other race [3.6%], and 10 missing/unreported [0.4%]), 6 PTSD trajectories (resilient, nonremitting high, nonremitting moderate, slow recovery, rapid recovery, delayed) were identified through latent-class mixed-effect modeling. Multinominal logistic regressions revealed that for individuals with higher CD-RISC scores, greenspace was associated with a greater likelihood of assignment in a resilient trajectory compared with nonremitting high (Wald z test = -3.92; P < .001), nonremitting moderate (Wald z test = -2.24; P = .03), or slow recovery (Wald z test = -2.27; P = .02) classes. Greenspace was also associated with greater neural reactivity to reward in the amygdala (n = 288; t277 = 2.83; adjusted P value = 0.02); however, reward reactivity did not differ by PTSD trajectory. Conclusions and relevance: In this cohort study, greenspace and self-reported individual resources were significantly associated with PTSD trajectories. These findings suggest that factors at multiple ecological levels may contribute to the likelihood of resiliency to PTSD after trauma.Item Persistent Dissociation and Its Neural Correlates in Predicting Outcomes After Trauma Exposure(American Psychiatric Association, 2022) Lebois, Lauren A. M.; Harnett, Nathaniel G.; van Rooij, Sanne J. H.; Ely, Timothy D.; Jovanovic, Tanja; Bruce, Steven E.; House, Stacey L.; Ravichandran, Caitlin; Dumornay, Nathalie M.; Finegold, Katherine E.; Hill, Sarah B.; Merker, Julia B.; Phillips, Karlye A.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Rauch, Scott L.; Haran, John P.; Storrow, Alan B.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Musey, Paul I., Jr.; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Swor, Robert A.; McGrath, Meghan E.; Hudak, Lauren A.; Pascual, Jose L.; Seamon, Mark J.; Datner, Elizabeth M.; Chang, Anna M.; Pearson, Claire; Domeier, Robert M.; Rathlev, Niels K.; O'Neil, Brian J.; Sergot, Paulina; Sanchez, Leon D.; Miller, Mark W.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Joormann, Jutta; Barch, Deanna M.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Sheridan, John F.; Smoller, Jordan W.; Luna, Beatriz; Harte, Steven E.; Elliott, James M.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; McLean, Samuel A.; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Ressler, Kerry J.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineObjective: Dissociation, a disruption or discontinuity in psychological functioning, is often linked with worse psychiatric symptoms; however, the prognostic value of dissociation after trauma is inconsistent. Determining whether trauma-related dissociation is uniquely predictive of later outcomes would enable early identification of at-risk trauma populations. The authors conducted the largest prospective longitudinal biomarker study of persistent dissociation to date to determine its predictive capacity for adverse psychiatric outcomes following acute trauma. Methods: All data were part of the Freeze 2 data release from the Advancing Understanding of Recovery After Trauma (AURORA) study. Study participants provided self-report data about persistent derealization (N=1,464), a severe type of dissociation, and completed a functional MRI emotion reactivity task and resting-state scan 2 weeks posttrauma (N=145). Three-month follow-up reports were collected of posttraumatic stress, depression, pain, anxiety symptoms, and functional impairment. Results: Derealization was associated with increased ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activation in the emotion reactivity task and decreased resting-state vmPFC connectivity with the cerebellum and orbitofrontal cortex. In separate analyses, brain-based and self-report measures of persistent derealization at 2 weeks predicted worse 3-month posttraumatic stress symptoms, distinct from the effects of childhood maltreatment history and current posttraumatic stress symptoms. Conclusions: The findings suggest that persistent derealization is both an early psychological and biological marker of worse later psychiatric outcomes. The neural correlates of trauma-related dissociation may serve as potential targets for treatment engagement to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder. These results underscore dissociation assessment as crucial following trauma exposure to identify at-risk individuals, and they highlight an unmet clinical need for tailored early interventions.Item Prior Sexual Trauma Exposure Impacts Posttraumatic Dysfunction and Neural Circuitry Following a Recent Traumatic Event in the AURORA Study(Elsevier, 2023-02-16) Rowland, Grace E.; Roeckner, Alyssa; Ely, Timothy D.; Lebois, Lauren A. M.; van Rooij, Sanne J. H.; Bruce, Steven E.; Jovanovic, Tanja; House, Stacey L.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Rauch, Scott L.; Haran, John P.; Storrow, Alan B.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Musey, Paul I., Jr.; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Kurz, Michael C.; Gentile, Nina T.; Hudak, Lauren A.; Pascual, Jose L.; Seamon, Mark J.; Harris, Erica; Pearson, Claire; Merchant, Roland C.; Domeier, Robert M.; Rathlev, Niels K.; Sergot, Paulina; Sanchez, Leon D.; Miller, Mark W.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Joormann, Jutta; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Sheridan, John F.; Smoller, Jordan W.; Harte, Steven E.; Elliott, James M.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; McLean, Samuel A.; Ressler, Kerry J.; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Harnett, Nathaniel G.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineBackground: Prior sexual trauma (ST) is associated with greater risk for posttraumatic stress disorder after a subsequent traumatic event; however, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain opaque. We investigated longitudinal posttraumatic dysfunction and amygdala functional dynamics following admission to an emergency department for new primarily nonsexual trauma in participants with and without previous ST. Methods: Participants (N = 2178) were recruited following acute trauma exposure (primarily motor vehicle collision). A subset (n = 242) completed magnetic resonance imaging that included a fearful faces task and a resting-state scan 2 weeks after the trauma. We investigated associations between prior ST and several dimensions of posttraumatic symptoms over 6 months. We further assessed amygdala activation and connectivity differences between groups with or without prior ST. Results: Prior ST was associated with greater posttraumatic depression (F1,1120 = 28.35, p = 1.22 × 10-7, ηp2 = 0.06), anxiety (F1,1113 = 17.43, p = 3.21 × 10-5, ηp2 = 0.05), and posttraumatic stress disorder (F1,1027 = 11.34, p = 7.85 × 10-4, ηp2 = 0.04) severity and more maladaptive beliefs about pain (F1,1113 = 8.51, p = .004, ηp2 = 0.02) but was not related to amygdala reactivity to fearful versus neutral faces (all ps > .05). A secondary analysis revealed an interaction between ST and lifetime trauma load on the left amygdala to visual cortex connectivity (peak Z value: -4.41, corrected p < .02). Conclusions: Findings suggest that prior ST is associated with heightened posttraumatic dysfunction following a new trauma exposure but not increased amygdala activity. In addition, ST may interact with lifetime trauma load to alter neural circuitry in visual processing regions following acute trauma exposure. Further research should probe the relationship between trauma type and visual circuitry in the acute aftermath of trauma.Item Prognostic neuroimaging biomarkers of trauma-related psychopathology: resting-state fMRI shortly after trauma predicts future PTSD and depression symptoms in the AURORA study(Springer Nature, 2021) Harnett, Nathaniel G.; van Rooij, Sanne J.H.; Ely, Timothy D.; Lebois, Lauren A.M.; Murty, Vishnu P.; Jovanovic, Tanja; Hill, Sarah B.; Dumornay, Nathalie M.; Merker, Julia B.; Bruce, Steve E.; House, Stacey L.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Zeng, Donglin; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Bollen, Kenneth A.; Rauch, Scott L.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Storrow, Alan B.; Musey, Paul I., Jr.; Haran, John P.; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Swor, Robert A.; McGrath, Meghan E.; Pascual, Jose L.; Seamon, Mark J.; Mohiuddin, Kamran; Chang, Anna M.; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David A.; Domeier, Robert M.; Rathlev, Niels K.; Sanchez, Leon D.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Joormann, Jutta; Barch, Deanna M.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Sheridan, John F.; Harte, Steven E.; Elliott, James M.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; Mclean, Samuel; Ressler, Kerry J.; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineNeurobiological markers of future susceptibility to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may facilitate identification of vulnerable individuals in the early aftermath of trauma. Variability in resting-state networks (RSNs), patterns of intrinsic functional connectivity across the brain, has previously been linked to PTSD, and may thus be informative of PTSD susceptibility. The present data are part of an initial analysis from the AURORA study, a longitudinal, multisite study of adverse neuropsychiatric sequalae. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 109 recently (i.e., ~2 weeks) traumatized individuals were collected and PTSD and depression symptoms were assessed at 3 months post trauma. We assessed commonly reported RSNs including the default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN), and salience network (SN). We also identified a proposed arousal network (AN) composed of a priori brain regions important for PTSD: the amygdala, hippocampus, mamillary bodies, midbrain, and pons. Primary analyses assessed whether variability in functional connectivity at the 2-week imaging timepoint predicted 3-month PTSD symptom severity. Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to AN connectivity at 2 weeks post trauma was negatively related to 3-month PTSD symptoms. Further, right inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) to DMN connectivity was positively related to 3-month PTSD symptoms. Both DLPFC-AN and ITG-DMN connectivity also predicted depression symptoms at 3 months. Our results suggest that, following trauma exposure, acutely assessed variability in RSN connectivity was associated with PTSD symptom severity approximately two and a half months later. However, these patterns may reflect general susceptibility to posttraumatic dysfunction as the imaging patterns were not linked to specific disorder symptoms, at least in the subacute/early chronic phase. The present data suggest that assessment of RSNs in the early aftermath of trauma may be informative of susceptibility to posttraumatic dysfunction, with future work needed to understand neural markers of long-term (e.g., 12 months post trauma) dysfunction. Furthermore, these findings are consistent with neural models suggesting that decreased top-down cortico-limbic regulation and increased network-mediated fear generalization may contribute to ongoing dysfunction in the aftermath of trauma.Item Structural covariance of the ventral visual stream predicts posttraumatic intrusion and nightmare symptoms: a multivariate data fusion analysis(Springer Nature, 2022-08-08) Harnett, Nathaniel G.; Finegold, Katherine E.; Lebois, Lauren A.M.; van Rooij, Sanne J.H.; Ely, Timothy D.; Murty, Vishnu P.; Jovanovic, Tanja; Bruce, Steven E.; House, Stacey L.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Zeng, Donglin; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Bollen, Kenneth A.; Rauch, Scott L.; Haran, John P.; Storrow, Alan B.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Musey, Paul I.; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Kurz, Michael C.; Swor, Robert A.; Hudak, Lauren A.; Pascual, Jose L.; Seamon, Mark J.; Harris, Erica; Chang, Anna M.; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David A.; Domeier, Robert M.; Rathlev, Niels K.; O'Neil, Brian J.; Sergot, Paulina; Sanchez, Leon D.; Miller, Mark W.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Joormann, Jutta; Barch, Deanna M.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Sheridan, John F.; Harte, Steven E.; Elliott, James M.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; McLean, Samuel A.; Nickerson, Lisa D.; Ressler, Kerry J.; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineVisual components of trauma memories are often vividly re-experienced by survivors with deleterious consequences for normal function. Neuroimaging research on trauma has primarily focused on threat-processing circuitry as core to trauma-related dysfunction. Conversely, limited attention has been given to visual circuitry which may be particularly relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prior work suggests that the ventral visual stream is directly related to the cognitive and affective disturbances observed in PTSD and may be predictive of later symptom expression. The present study used multimodal magnetic resonance imaging data (n = 278) collected two weeks after trauma exposure from the AURORA study, a longitudinal, multisite investigation of adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae. Indices of gray and white matter were combined using data fusion to identify a structural covariance network (SCN) of the ventral visual stream 2 weeks after trauma. Participant's loadings on the SCN were positively associated with both intrusion symptoms and intensity of nightmares. Further, SCN loadings moderated connectivity between a previously observed amygdala-hippocampal functional covariance network and the inferior temporal gyrus. Follow-up MRI data at 6 months showed an inverse relationship between SCN loadings and negative alterations in cognition in mood. Further, individuals who showed decreased strength of the SCN between 2 weeks and 6 months had generally higher PTSD symptom severity over time. The present findings highlight a role for structural integrity of the ventral visual stream in the development of PTSD. The ventral visual stream may be particularly important for the consolidation or retrieval of trauma memories and may contribute to efficient reactivation of visual components of the trauma memory, thereby exacerbating PTSD symptoms. Potentially chronic engagement of the network may lead to reduced structural integrity which becomes a risk factor for lasting PTSD symptoms.Item Structural inequities contribute to racial/ethnic differences in neurophysiological tone, but not threat reactivity, after trauma exposure(Springer Nature, 2023) Harnett, Nathaniel G.; Fani, Negar; Carter, Sierra; Sanchez, Leon D.; Rowland, Grace E.; Davie, William M.; Guzman, Camilo; Lebois, Lauren A. M.; Ely, Timothy D.; van Rooij, Sanne J. H.; Seligowski, Antonia V.; Winters, Sterling; Grasser, Lana R.; Musey, Paul I., Jr.; Seamon, Mark J.; House, Stacey L.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Zeng, Donglin; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Bollen, Kenneth A.; Rauch, Scott L.; Haran, John P.; Storrow, Alan B.; Lewandowski, Christopher; Hendry, Phyllis L.; Sheikh, Sophia; Jones, Christopher W.; Punches, Brittany E.; Swor, Robert A.; Hudak, Lauren A.; Pascual, Jose L.; Harris, Erica; Chang, Anna M.; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David A.; Merchant, Roland C.; Domeier, Robert M.; Rathlev, Niels K.; Bruce, Steven E.; Miller, Mark W.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Joormann, Jutta; Barch, Deanna M.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Harte, Steven E.; Elliott, James M.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Koenen, Karestan C.; McLean, Samuel A.; Jovanovic, Tanja; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Ressler, Kerry J.; Emergency Medicine, School of MedicineConsiderable racial/ethnic disparities persist in exposure to life stressors and socioeconomic resources that can directly affect threat neurocircuitry, particularly the amygdala, that partially mediates susceptibility to adverse posttraumatic outcomes. Limited work to date, however, has investigated potential racial/ethnic variability in amygdala reactivity or connectivity that may in turn be related to outcomes such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants from the AURORA study (n = 283), a multisite longitudinal study of trauma outcomes, completed functional magnetic resonance imaging and psychophysiology within approximately two-weeks of trauma exposure. Seed-based amygdala connectivity and amygdala reactivity during passive viewing of fearful and neutral faces were assessed during fMRI. Physiological activity was assessed during Pavlovian threat conditioning. Participants also reported the severity of posttraumatic symptoms 3 and 6 months after trauma. Black individuals showed lower baseline skin conductance levels and startle compared to White individuals, but no differences were observed in physiological reactions to threat. Further, Hispanic and Black participants showed greater amygdala connectivity to regions including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and cerebellum compared to White participants. No differences were observed in amygdala reactivity to threat. Amygdala connectivity was associated with 3-month PTSD symptoms, but the associations differed by racial/ethnic group and were partly driven by group differences in structural inequities. The present findings suggest variability in tonic neurophysiological arousal in the early aftermath of trauma between racial/ethnic groups, driven by structural inequality, impacts neural processes that mediate susceptibility to later PTSD symptoms.