Altered dynamic parahippocampus functional connectivity in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

This study investigated dynamic brain functional alterations in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Degree centrality (DC) and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) analyses were conducted among typhoon survivours with (n = 27) and without PTSD (n = 33) and healthy controls (HC) (n = 30) to assess the intrinsic dysconnectivity pattern and network-level brain function. Both the PTSD group and the trauma-exposed control (TEC) group had increased DC in the left parahippocampal gyrus relative to the HC group. More increased DC in the left parahippocampal gyrus was found in the PTSD group. Both traumatised groups exhibited decreased left parahippocampal gyrus dynamic FC with the bilateral middle frontal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus relative to the HC group. The Checklist-Civilian Version score was positively correlated with dynamic FC between the parahippocampal gyrus and left superior frontal gyrus but was negatively correlated with dynamic FC between the parahippocampal gyrus and right middle frontal gyrus. Trauma exposure may lead to an altered dynamic FC in individuals with or without PTSD. An altered DC in the parahippocampal gyrus may be an important risk factor for PTSD development following trauma exposure. A more prominently increased DC in the parahippocampal gyrus might be a common trait in the PTSD group.本研究采用静息态功能磁共振成像，探究创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）患者的动态脑功能改变。研究纳入27名罹患PTSD的台风幸存者、33名未罹患PTSD的台风幸存者（创伤暴露对照组，TEC）以及30名健康对照（HC），并针对上述群体开展度中心性（DC）与基于种子点的功能连接（FC）分析，以评估脑内在连接异常模式与网络层面的脑功能特征。相较于健康对照组，PTSD组与创伤暴露对照组均表现出左侧海马旁回的DC值升高，且PTSD组的左侧海马旁回DC值升高更为显著。相较于健康对照组，两个创伤暴露组均表现出左侧海马旁回与双侧额中回、额上回之间的动态FC降低。平民版检查表得分与海马旁回和左侧额上回之间的动态FC呈正相关，而与海马旁回和右侧额中回之间的动态FC呈负相关。创伤暴露可能会导致无论是否罹患PTSD的个体出现动态FC异常。海马旁回的DC值异常或许是创伤暴露后PTSD发生的重要危险因素。PTSD组中海马旁回DC值升高更为显著，这可能是该群体的一项共性特征。