Browsing by Author "Seligowski, Antonia V."

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    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 Medicine
    Hippocampal 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.
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    A prospective examination of sex differences in posttraumatic autonomic functioning
    (Elsevier, 2021-08-21) Seligowski, Antonia V.; Steuber, Elizabeth R.; Hinrichs, Rebecca; Reda, Mariam H.; Wiltshire, Charis N.; Wanna, Cassandra P.; Winters, Sterling J.; Phillips, Karlye A.; House, Stacey L.; Beaudoin, Francesca L.; An, Xinming; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Zeng, Donglin; Neylan, Thomas C.; Clifford, Gari D.; Linnstaedt, Sarah D.; Germine, Laura T.; Bollen, Kenneth A.; Guffanti, Guia; 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.; Murty, Vishnu P.; McGrath, Meghan E.; Hudak, Lauren A.; Pascual, Jose L.; Seamon, Mark J.; Datner, Elizabeth M.; Chang, Anna M.; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David A.; Merchant, Roland C.; 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.; Luna, Beatriz; Harte, Steven E.; Elliott, James M.; Koenen, Karestan C.; Kessler, Ronald C.; McLean, Samuel A.; Ressler, Kerry J.; Jovanovic, Tanja; Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: Cross-sectional studies have found that individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit deficits in autonomic functioning. While PTSD rates are twice as high in women compared to men, sex differences in autonomic functioning are relatively unknown among trauma-exposed populations. The current study used a prospective design to examine sex differences in posttraumatic autonomic functioning. Methods: 192 participants were recruited from emergency departments following trauma exposure (Mean age = 35.88, 68.2% female). Skin conductance was measured in the emergency department; fear conditioning was completed two weeks later and included measures of blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV). PTSD symptoms were assessed 8 weeks after trauma. Results: 2-week systolic BP was significantly higher in men, while 2-week HR was significantly higher in women, and a sex by PTSD interaction suggested that women who developed PTSD demonstrated the highest HR levels. Two-week HF-HRV was significantly lower in women, and a sex by PTSD interaction suggested that women with PTSD demonstrated the lowest HF-HRV levels. Skin conductance response in the emergency department was associated with 2-week HR and HF-HRV only among women who developed PTSD. Conclusions: Our results indicate that there are notable sex differences in autonomic functioning among trauma-exposed individuals. Differences in sympathetic biomarkers (BP and HR) may have implications for cardiovascular disease risk given that sympathetic arousal is a mechanism implicated in this risk among PTSD populations. Future research examining differential pathways between PTSD and cardiovascular risk among men versus women is warranted.
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    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 Medicine
    Considerable 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.