Odor-enhanced Visual Processing in PTSD
Significant differences in the independent processing of trauma-related visual or olfactory cues have been demonstrated in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, it remains unclear if PTSD-related differences exist in how the olfactory and visual systems interact to process potential threat. The...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925000746 |
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| author | Aicko Y. Schumann Thomas W. Uhde David C. Houghton Qing X. Yang Bernadette M. Cortese |
| author_facet | Aicko Y. Schumann Thomas W. Uhde David C. Houghton Qing X. Yang Bernadette M. Cortese |
| author_sort | Aicko Y. Schumann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Significant differences in the independent processing of trauma-related visual or olfactory cues have been demonstrated in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, it remains unclear if PTSD-related differences exist in how the olfactory and visual systems interact to process potential threat. The present fMRI study assessed odor-enhanced visual processing (i.e. greater activation in visual areas to combined odor-picture cues compared to picture cues presented alone) in 46 combat veterans (19 with PTSD (CV+PTSD) and 27 healthy controls (HCV)). As expected, general odor-enhanced visual processing was demonstrated in the overall group, and CV+PTSD, compared to HCV, demonstrated significantly more threat odor-enhanced visual cortical activation to neutral images. Unexpectedly, however, CV+PTSD, compared to HCV, demonstrated significantly less threat odor-enhanced visual cortical activation to combat-related images. Functional connectivity findings mirrored those results and indicated a PTSD-related increase in olfactory-visual connectivity with neutral images and decrease with combat-related images. These findings suggest potential sensory processing dysregulation in PTSD that could be based in an olfactory-visual coupling impairment. Findings are also consistent with a PTSD-related focus on potential threat that may override the need to process additional sensory information important for the biological functions that promote survival. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a66b03b69d364cd7a57dfc6de56700c2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj-art-a66b03b69d364cd7a57dfc6de56700c22025-08-20T02:56:56ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722025-04-0130912107210.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121072Odor-enhanced Visual Processing in PTSDAicko Y. Schumann0Thomas W. Uhde1David C. Houghton2Qing X. Yang3Bernadette M. Cortese4Institute of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, Charleston, 29425, S.C., USA; Department of Mathematics, College of Charleston, 175 Calhoun Street, Charleston, 29401, S.C., USAInstitute of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, Charleston, 29425, S.C., USADepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Texas Medical Branch, 400 Harborside Dr., Galveston, 77550, TX, USAMilton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University, 500 University Drive, Hershey, 17033, P.A., USAInstitute of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, Charleston, 29425, S.C., USA; Correspondence to: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, United States of AmericaSignificant differences in the independent processing of trauma-related visual or olfactory cues have been demonstrated in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, it remains unclear if PTSD-related differences exist in how the olfactory and visual systems interact to process potential threat. The present fMRI study assessed odor-enhanced visual processing (i.e. greater activation in visual areas to combined odor-picture cues compared to picture cues presented alone) in 46 combat veterans (19 with PTSD (CV+PTSD) and 27 healthy controls (HCV)). As expected, general odor-enhanced visual processing was demonstrated in the overall group, and CV+PTSD, compared to HCV, demonstrated significantly more threat odor-enhanced visual cortical activation to neutral images. Unexpectedly, however, CV+PTSD, compared to HCV, demonstrated significantly less threat odor-enhanced visual cortical activation to combat-related images. Functional connectivity findings mirrored those results and indicated a PTSD-related increase in olfactory-visual connectivity with neutral images and decrease with combat-related images. These findings suggest potential sensory processing dysregulation in PTSD that could be based in an olfactory-visual coupling impairment. Findings are also consistent with a PTSD-related focus on potential threat that may override the need to process additional sensory information important for the biological functions that promote survival.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925000746ThreatSensory perceptionTraumaConnectivityfMRI |
| spellingShingle | Aicko Y. Schumann Thomas W. Uhde David C. Houghton Qing X. Yang Bernadette M. Cortese Odor-enhanced Visual Processing in PTSD NeuroImage Threat Sensory perception Trauma Connectivity fMRI |
| title | Odor-enhanced Visual Processing in PTSD |
| title_full | Odor-enhanced Visual Processing in PTSD |
| title_fullStr | Odor-enhanced Visual Processing in PTSD |
| title_full_unstemmed | Odor-enhanced Visual Processing in PTSD |
| title_short | Odor-enhanced Visual Processing in PTSD |
| title_sort | odor enhanced visual processing in ptsd |
| topic | Threat Sensory perception Trauma Connectivity fMRI |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925000746 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aickoyschumann odorenhancedvisualprocessinginptsd AT thomaswuhde odorenhancedvisualprocessinginptsd AT davidchoughton odorenhancedvisualprocessinginptsd AT qingxyang odorenhancedvisualprocessinginptsd AT bernadettemcortese odorenhancedvisualprocessinginptsd |