Evaluation of gray matter reduction in patients with typhoon-related posttraumatic stress disorder using causal network analysis of structural MRI

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among parents and adolescents following Typhoon Lekima: Examination of the mother-daughter sex matching effect

This study aimed to examine the same-sex matching effect of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms from parents to children and the mediating role of children' sense of security and catastrophization. Longitudinal data from 447 parent-child dyads were acquired using self-report scales. Parents (77.0% mothers; Mage = 40.15 years old) reported their PTSD symptoms 3 months after Super Typhoon Lekima, and children (55.9% girls; Mage = 13.40 years old) reported their PTSD symptoms, sense of security, and catastrophization 3 months and 15 months after the typhoon. Results showed that intrusion in mothers predicated intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms in daughters, while avoidance and hyperarousal in mothers predicted the same symptoms in daughters. This was not observed in any other parent-child dyads. Moreover, mothers' intrusion positively predicted daughters' PTSD symptoms via daughters' sense of security and then catastrophization, while mothers' hyperarousal showed the opposite prediction. These findings suggest that a same-sex matching effect occurs from mothers to daughters in terms of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD. Thus, clinical interventions that target daughters' PTSD symptoms should also consider mothers' intrusion and avoidance symptoms. Moreover, it may be possible to develop interventions to improve daughters' sense of security.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and spousal relationships in natural disaster victims: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after natural disaster can have a detrimental effect on marital relationships, which may be through parenting-related factor.

AIMS

The study aimed to examine the mechanism underlying the long-term effects of PTSD symptoms on marital satisfaction via coparenting, and its differences between men and women following the Super Typhoon Lekima.

METHODS

Participants were 465 married victims with children. They reported their PTSD, coparenting, and marital satisfaction at three and fifteen months after the tropical cyclone.

RESULTS

The results showed that for women, only higher negative cognitive and emotional alterations (NCEA) symptoms were associated with lower marital satisfaction through conflict coparenting. For men, higher intrusion, NCEA, and hyperarousal symptoms were associated with marital satisfaction through different coparenting. To be specific, for men, higher intrusion symptoms were associated with lower marital satisfaction via less reprimand coparenting; higher NCEA symptoms were associated with lower marital satisfaction via less integrity coparenting, and associated with higher marital satisfaction via less conflict coparenting; higher hyperarousal symptoms were associated with lower marital satisfaction via more conflict coparenting.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggested that the long-term effect of PTSD symptoms on marital satisfaction via coparenting mainly showed for men.

Trauma-related intrusive memories and anterior hippocampus structural covariance: an ecological momentary assessment study in posttraumatic stress disorder

Trauma-related intrusive memories (TR-IMs) are hallmark symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but their neural correlates remain partly unknown. Given its role in autobiographical memory, the hippocampus may play a critical role in TR-IM neurophysiology. The anterior and posterior hippocampi are known to have partially distinct functions, including during retrieval of autobiographical memories. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between TR-IM frequency and the anterior and posterior hippocampi morphology in PTSD. Ninety-three trauma-exposed adults completed daily ecological momentary assessments for fourteen days to capture their TR-IM frequency. Participants then underwent anatomical magnetic resonance imaging to obtain measures of anterior and posterior hippocampal volumes. Partial least squares analysis was applied to identify a structural covariance network that differentiated the anterior and posterior hippocampi. Poisson regression models examined the relationship of TR-IM frequency with anterior and posterior hippocampal volumes and the resulting structural covariance network. Results revealed no significant relationship of TR-IM frequency with hippocampal volumes. However, TR-IM frequency was significantly negatively correlated with the expression of a structural covariance pattern specifically associated with the anterior hippocampus volume. This association remained significant after accounting for the severity of PTSD symptoms other than intrusion symptoms. The network included the bilateral inferior temporal gyri, superior frontal gyri, precuneus, and fusiform gyri. These novel findings indicate that higher TR-IM frequency in individuals with PTSD is associated with lower structural covariance between the anterior hippocampus and other brain regions involved in autobiographical memory, shedding light on the neural correlates underlying this core symptom of PTSD.

Altered dynamic functional connectivity associates with post-traumatic stress disorder

Research has been looking into neural pathophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dynamic functioning connectivity (dFC) applying resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Previous studies showed that PTSD related impairments are associated with alterations distributed across different brain regions and disorganized functional connectivity, especially in Default Mode Network and the cerebellar area. In this study, we specifically looked into dFC on a whole brain level, and we focused on critical regions such as DMN and cerebellum. To explore the characteristics of dFC among patients with PTSD, we collected rs-fMRI data from 27 PTSD patients and 30 healthy controls. The study also added a control group of 33 trauma-exposed individuals to further look into trauma impact. Utilizing group spatial independent component analysis (ICA), the dynamic properties on whole brain level were detected with sliding time window approach, and k-means clustering. Two reoccurring FC "States" were identified, with connections being more concentrated on a within-network level in one state and more strongly inter-connected in the other state. Abnormalities in dFC were found within DMN, between DMN and cerebellum, and between DMN and visual network for PTSD patients. The findings were in accordance with the study hypothesis that the dFC alterations might point to deficits in emotional modulation and dysfunctional self-referential thought. Abnormalities in dFC among PTSD patients might also be indicators of PTSD symptoms including depression and anxiety, hypervigilance, impaired cognitive functioning and self-referential information processing.

Structural brain features signaling trauma, PTSD, or resilience? A systematic exploration

BACKGROUND

Studies have searched for neurobiological markers of trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, and resilience to trauma to identify therapeutic targets for PTSD. Despite some promising results, findings are inconsistent.

AIMS

The present study adopted a data-driven approach to systematically explore whether structural brain markers of trauma, PTSD, or resilience emerge when all are explored.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Differences between clusters in the proportion of PTSD, healthy controls (HC), and trauma-exposed healthy controls (TEHC) served to indicate the presence of PTSD, trauma, and resilience markers, respectively. A total of 129 individuals, including 46 with PTSD, 49 TEHCs, and 34 HCs not exposed to trauma were scanned. Volumes, cortical thickness, and surface areas of interest were obtained from T1 structural MRI and used to identify data-driven clusters.

RESULTS

Two clusters were identified, differing in the proportion of TEHCs but not of PTSDs or HCs. The cluster with the higher proportion of TEHCs, referred to as the resilience cluster, was characterized by higher volume in brain regions implicated in trauma exposure, especially the thalamus and rostral middle frontal gyrus. Cross-validation established the robustness and consistency of the identified clusters.

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION

Findings support the existence of structural brain markers of resilience.