Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
August 2024
Dynamic brain immune function in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder is rarely studied, despite evidence of peripheral immune dysfunction. Positron emission tomography brain imaging using the radiotracer [C]PBR28 was used to measure the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO), a microglial marker, at baseline and 3 h after administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent immune activator. Data were acquired in 15 individuals with PTSD and 15 age-matched controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Stress is a potent activator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, initiating the release of glucocorticoid hormones, such as cortisol. Alcohol consumption can lead to HPA axis dysfunction, including altered cortisol levels. Until recently, research has only been able to examine peripheral cortisol associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) in humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSocial factors are associated with psychiatric outcomes and brain function. Relationships between local population data obtained from Social Explorer analyses of the American Community Survey (2014-2018) and dopamine D receptor (DR) availability were explored in this retrospective analysis of [C]PHNO positron emission tomography (PET) imaging data (n = 70). Larger local population size and lower percentage of the population with a bachelor's degree or higher were significantly associated with higher striatal DR availability, suggesting that living in a populous area with fewer educational resources may be accompanied by stressors with concomitant dopaminergic changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBACKGROUNDInvestigations of stress dysregulation in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have focused on peripheral cortisol, but none have examined cortisol in the human brain. This study used positron emission tomography (PET) to image 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1), a cortisol-producing enzyme, as a putative brain cortisol marker in PTSD.METHODSSixteen individuals with PTSD and 17 healthy, trauma-exposed controls (TCs) underwent PET imaging with [18F]AS2471907, a radioligand for 11β-HSD1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite well-known peripheral immune activation in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are no studies of brain immunologic regulation in individuals with PTSD. [C]PBR28 Positron Emission Tomography brain imaging of the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO), a microglial biomarker, was conducted in 23 individuals with PTSD and 26 healthy individuals-with or without trauma exposure. Prefrontal-limbic TSPO availability in the PTSD group was negatively associated with PTSD symptom severity and was significantly lower than in controls.
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