Linking intrinsic brain dysfunction to behavioral outcomes in combat-exposed males with PTSD symptoms
IntroductionExposure to trauma produces abnormal intrinsic brain activity, but its association to stress-related symptom severity is often elusive, and the relationships with co-occurring psychiatric and cognitive changes are poorly understood.MethodsThis study investigated the neurobehavioral mecha...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| author | Deborah L. Harrington Deborah L. Harrington Qian Shen Qian Shen Annemarie Angeles-Quinto Annemarie Angeles-Quinto Sharon Nichols Tao Song Hayden Hansen Kate A. Yurgil Kate A. Yurgil Roland R. Lee Roland R. Lee Dewleen G. Baker Dewleen G. Baker Dewleen G. Baker Ming-Xiong Huang Ming-Xiong Huang |
| author_facet | Deborah L. Harrington Deborah L. Harrington Qian Shen Qian Shen Annemarie Angeles-Quinto Annemarie Angeles-Quinto Sharon Nichols Tao Song Hayden Hansen Kate A. Yurgil Kate A. Yurgil Roland R. Lee Roland R. Lee Dewleen G. Baker Dewleen G. Baker Dewleen G. Baker Ming-Xiong Huang Ming-Xiong Huang |
| author_sort | Deborah L. Harrington |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionExposure to trauma produces abnormal intrinsic brain activity, but its association to stress-related symptom severity is often elusive, and the relationships with co-occurring psychiatric and cognitive changes are poorly understood.MethodsThis study investigated the neurobehavioral mechanisms of persistent disability in male combat-exposed military personnel and veterans with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (CE-PTSD) (n=19) and trauma-exposed healthy controls with similar combat experiences (n=24). Disturbances in intrinsic activity during resting-state fMRI were identified using a whole-brain analytic approach that quantified regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF). To determine if functional abnormalities were related to changes in brain macrostructure, cortical thickness and gray/white-matter volume were measured. Regional abnormalities in CE-PTSD were identified by comparing measures of brain function and structure between the two groups. The behavioral relevance of regional abnormalities in the CE-PTSD group was then assessed by their correlations with stress and psychiatric symptom severity and cognitive functioning.ResultsDespite the absence of changes in brain structure in CE-PTSD, fALFF was abnormally increased in the right anterior insula/temporal pole (aIn/TP), left aIn, and bilateral parahippocampus (PH), whereas ReHo was reduced in the right inferior temporal gyrus. Greater increases in right aIn/TP fALFF correlated with more severe hyperarousal and impulsivity in CE-PTSD, suggesting ruminative thoughts or negative feelings hamper emotion regulation. Conversely, greater right PH fALFF correlated with lower hyperarousal and depression, signifying an adaptive response to stress that promotes better affective processing. Importantly, regional abnormalities were detrimental for more complex executive functions, consistent with observations that stress impedes cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control due to a persistent reliance on hypervigilant behaviors.DiscussionAn unbiased, efficient and computationally reliable imaging approach identified intrinsic dysfunction in brain regions that may be core features of CE-PTSD. Though larger samples are needed for verification, the preliminary results provide new insights into the associations between regional abnormalities and different facets of emotion regulation and cognition, which in turn may impact an individual’s functional abilities in daily life and responsiveness to psychotherapy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e6f3dc3a9a51478784fdfec244af117c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e6f3dc3a9a51478784fdfec244af117c2025-08-20T03:16:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-07-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.15919381591938Linking intrinsic brain dysfunction to behavioral outcomes in combat-exposed males with PTSD symptomsDeborah L. Harrington0Deborah L. Harrington1Qian Shen2Qian Shen3Annemarie Angeles-Quinto4Annemarie Angeles-Quinto5Sharon Nichols6Tao Song7Hayden Hansen8Kate A. Yurgil9Kate A. Yurgil10Roland R. Lee11Roland R. Lee12Dewleen G. Baker13Dewleen G. Baker14Dewleen G. Baker15Ming-Xiong Huang16Ming-Xiong Huang17Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United StatesResearch Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United StatesDepartment of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United StatesResearch Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United StatesDepartment of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United StatesResearch Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United StatesDepartment of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United StatesDepartment of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United StatesResearch Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United StatesPsychiatry Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United StatesDepartment of Psychological Sciences, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA, United StatesDepartment of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United StatesRadiology Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United StatesPsychiatry Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United StatesVeterans Affairs (VA) Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, San Diego, CA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United StatesDepartment of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United StatesRadiology Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United StatesIntroductionExposure to trauma produces abnormal intrinsic brain activity, but its association to stress-related symptom severity is often elusive, and the relationships with co-occurring psychiatric and cognitive changes are poorly understood.MethodsThis study investigated the neurobehavioral mechanisms of persistent disability in male combat-exposed military personnel and veterans with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (CE-PTSD) (n=19) and trauma-exposed healthy controls with similar combat experiences (n=24). Disturbances in intrinsic activity during resting-state fMRI were identified using a whole-brain analytic approach that quantified regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF). To determine if functional abnormalities were related to changes in brain macrostructure, cortical thickness and gray/white-matter volume were measured. Regional abnormalities in CE-PTSD were identified by comparing measures of brain function and structure between the two groups. The behavioral relevance of regional abnormalities in the CE-PTSD group was then assessed by their correlations with stress and psychiatric symptom severity and cognitive functioning.ResultsDespite the absence of changes in brain structure in CE-PTSD, fALFF was abnormally increased in the right anterior insula/temporal pole (aIn/TP), left aIn, and bilateral parahippocampus (PH), whereas ReHo was reduced in the right inferior temporal gyrus. Greater increases in right aIn/TP fALFF correlated with more severe hyperarousal and impulsivity in CE-PTSD, suggesting ruminative thoughts or negative feelings hamper emotion regulation. Conversely, greater right PH fALFF correlated with lower hyperarousal and depression, signifying an adaptive response to stress that promotes better affective processing. Importantly, regional abnormalities were detrimental for more complex executive functions, consistent with observations that stress impedes cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control due to a persistent reliance on hypervigilant behaviors.DiscussionAn unbiased, efficient and computationally reliable imaging approach identified intrinsic dysfunction in brain regions that may be core features of CE-PTSD. Though larger samples are needed for verification, the preliminary results provide new insights into the associations between regional abnormalities and different facets of emotion regulation and cognition, which in turn may impact an individual’s functional abilities in daily life and responsiveness to psychotherapy.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1591938/fullpost-traumatic stress disorderresting-state functional MRIReHofALFFstress symptomspsychiatric symptoms |
| spellingShingle | Deborah L. Harrington Deborah L. Harrington Qian Shen Qian Shen Annemarie Angeles-Quinto Annemarie Angeles-Quinto Sharon Nichols Tao Song Hayden Hansen Kate A. Yurgil Kate A. Yurgil Roland R. Lee Roland R. Lee Dewleen G. Baker Dewleen G. Baker Dewleen G. Baker Ming-Xiong Huang Ming-Xiong Huang Linking intrinsic brain dysfunction to behavioral outcomes in combat-exposed males with PTSD symptoms Frontiers in Psychiatry post-traumatic stress disorder resting-state functional MRI ReHo fALFF stress symptoms psychiatric symptoms |
| title | Linking intrinsic brain dysfunction to behavioral outcomes in combat-exposed males with PTSD symptoms |
| title_full | Linking intrinsic brain dysfunction to behavioral outcomes in combat-exposed males with PTSD symptoms |
| title_fullStr | Linking intrinsic brain dysfunction to behavioral outcomes in combat-exposed males with PTSD symptoms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Linking intrinsic brain dysfunction to behavioral outcomes in combat-exposed males with PTSD symptoms |
| title_short | Linking intrinsic brain dysfunction to behavioral outcomes in combat-exposed males with PTSD symptoms |
| title_sort | linking intrinsic brain dysfunction to behavioral outcomes in combat exposed males with ptsd symptoms |
| topic | post-traumatic stress disorder resting-state functional MRI ReHo fALFF stress symptoms psychiatric symptoms |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1591938/full |
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