Background: Several task-based functional MRI (fMRI) studies have highlighted abnormal activation in specific regions involving the low-level perceptual (auditory, visual, and somato-motor) network in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. However, little is known about whether the functional connectivity of the low-level perceptual and higher-order cognitive (attention, central-execution, and default-mode) networks change in medication-naïve PTSD patients during the resting state.

Methods: We investigated the resting state networks (RSNs) using independent component analysis (ICA) in 18 chronic Wenchuan earthquake-related PTSD patients versus 20 healthy survivors (HSs).

Results: Compared to the HSs, PTSD patients displayed both increased and decreased functional connectivity within the salience network (SN), central executive network (CEN), default mode network (DMN), somato-motor network (SMN), auditory network (AN), and visual network (VN). Furthermore, strengthened connectivity involving the inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) and supplementary motor area (SMA) was negatively correlated with clinical severity in PTSD patients.

Limitations: Given the absence of a healthy control group that never experienced the earthquake, our results cannot be used to compare alterations between the PTSD patients, physically healthy trauma survivors, and healthy controls. In addition, the breathing and heart rates were not monitored in our small sample size of subjects. In future studies, specific task paradigms should be used to reveal perceptual impairments.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that PTSD patients have widespread deficits in both the low-level perceptual and higher-order cognitive networks. Decreased connectivity within the low-level perceptual networks was related to clinical symptoms, which may be associated with traumatic reminders causing attentional bias to negative emotion in response to threatening stimuli and resulting in emotional dysregulation.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4019529PMC
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0096834PLOS

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

ptsd patients
24
low-level perceptual
20
perceptual networks
8
networks clinical
8
clinical severity
8
ptsd
8
severity ptsd
8
somato-motor network
8
functional connectivity
8
connectivity low-level
8

Similar Publications

Characterization of cognitive functioning in complex PTSD compared to non-complex PTSD.

Front Psychiatry

January 2025

Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

Background: Previous research has indicated cognitive impairments in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), specifically in attention, memory, and executive functioning. However, there is limited knowledge about the cognitive profile of individuals with complex PTSD (cPTSD), a new diagnosis in ICD-11. Moreover, predictors of cognitive impairment remain unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Trauma disorders are prevalent and confer high rates of psychiatric comorbidity and functional impairment. Women are more likely to be affected by trauma disorders; however, rates and symptom burden in women's inpatient psychiatric units remains understudied. We hypothesized the prevalence of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) would be higher among women admitted to a women's inpatient unit compared to women in the general population and mixed gender units.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Violence experience, interpersonal and community-level, is commonly reported by people living with HIV (PLWH). Understanding the impact of the various forms of violence on HIV outcomes is critical for prioritizing violence screening and support resources in care settings. From February 2021 to December 2022, among 285 PLWH purposively sampled to attain diversity by gender, race/ethnicity, and HIV care retention status in Atlanta, Georgia, we examined interpersonal and community violence experiences and proxy measures of violence (post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression) and their associations with HIV outcomes (engagement and retention in care and HIV viral suppression) using multivariable analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A Brief Intervention for Injury-Related Traumatic Stress: Results From a Feasibility Study.

J Trauma Nurs

January 2025

Author Affiliations: Department of Psychiatry (Dr Bull and Ms Rohm), Department of Surgery (Dr Urban amd Ms Rohrer), College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; and Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences (Dr McBain), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) significantly impacts post-injury quality of life; however, many injured patients struggle to access necessary psychosocial care. A brief intervention, Talk, Listen, Communicate to Recover (TLC to Recover), may facilitate access to psychosocial care in low resource trauma centers.

Objective: This study assessed staff and patient perceptions regarding the feasibility and acceptability of implementing TLC to Recover at a Level I trauma center.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) use is associated with substantial psychiatric morbidity in patients and their families. This systematic review and meta-analysis quantifies the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression among ECMO survivors and their families. Included studies enrolled patients on ECMO or their families and reported at least one trauma-related psychopathology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!