Functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala in posttraumatic stress disorder

Gilboa, Asaf; Shalev, Arieh Y.; Laor, Lucian; Lester, Hava; Louzoun, Yoram; Chisin, Roland; Bonne, Omer

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2003.08.004

Cited by 185 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…These dorsal PFC areas are notable for their role in effortful top-down emotion regulation, and appear to exert their regulatory influence on the amygdala via the vmPFC 11,43 . In healthy individuals, dorsal PFC regions are anticorrelated with the amygdala during task and rest 42,44,45 . Furthermore, successful emotion regulation is associated with greater amygdala-dm/dlPFC anticorrelation during task 46 , and higher anxiety levels are associated with a loss of resting amygdala-dmPFC anticorrelation 42 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, successful emotion regulation is associated with greater amygdala-dm/dlPFC anticorrelation during task 46 , and higher anxiety levels are associated with a loss of resting amygdala-dmPFC anticorrelation 42 . PTSD has also been characterized by reduced amygdala-dmPFC/rACC anticorrelation both during symptom provocation 45 and at rest 7,9 . Our results are consistent with these studies and, when examined in relation to raw (non-residualized) amygdala-dmPFC connectivity, suggest a loss of anticorrelation and a switch to positive connectivity with higher CAPS scores (see Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Childhood Maltreatment and Combat Posttraumatic Stress Differentially Predict Fear-Related Fronto-Subcortical Connectivity

et al. 2014

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Background Adult post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been characterized by altered fear network connectivity. Childhood trauma is a major risk factor for adult PTSD, yet its contribution to fear network connectivity in PTSD remains unexplored. We examined, within a single model, the contribution of childhood maltreatment, combat exposure, and combat-related post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) to resting-state connectivity (rs-FC) of the amygdala and hippocampus in military veterans. Methods Medication-free male veterans (n=27, average 26.6 years) with a range of PTSS completed resting-state fMRI. Measures including the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and Combat Exposure Scale (CES) were used to predict rs-FC using multi-linear regression. Fear network seeds included the amygdala and hippocampus. Results Amygdala: CTQ predicted lower connectivity to ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), but greater anticorrelation with dorsal/lateral PFC. CAPS positively predicted connectivity to insula, and loss of anticorrelation with dorsomedial/dorsolateral (dm/dl)PFC. Hippocampus CTQ predicted lower connectivity to vmPFC, but greater anticorrelation with dm/dlPFC. CES predicted greater anticorrelation, while CAPS predicted less anticorrelation with dmPFC. Conclusions Childhood trauma, combat exposure, and PTSS differentially predict fear network rs-FC. Childhood maltreatment may weaken ventral prefrontal-subcortical circuitry important in automatic fear regulation, but, in a compensatory manner, may also strengthen dorsal prefrontal-subcortical pathways involved in more effortful emotion regulation. PTSD symptoms, in turn, appear to emerge with the loss of connectivity in the latter pathway. These findings suggest potential mechanisms by which developmental trauma exposure leads to adult PTSD, and which brain mechanisms are associated with the emergence of PTSD symptoms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood Maltreatment and Combat Posttraumatic Stress Differentially Predict Fear-Related Fronto-Subcortical Connectivity

et al. 2014

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“…Along with the data of Ritov and colleagues described above, this finding highlights the necessity of examining inter-regional activity in the context of traumatic stress re-exposure, as PTSD likely manifests from a functional dysregulation of highly integrated limbic circuitry. For example, upon symptom provocation, PTSD subjects display strong signal synchronization between the amygdala and the mPFC/anterior cingulate cortex (Rauch et al , 1996; Liberzon et al , 1999; Gilboa et al , 2004). In rodents, stimulation of beta-adrenoceptors in the BLA enhances avoidance memory and also increases plasticity-related protein expression in the mPFC, whereas BLA inactivation reduces mPFC levels of the same signaling proteins (Holloway-Erickson et al , 2012), further suggesting a strengthening of this circuit in PTSD.…”

Section: Recent Neurobiological Insights Gained From Animal Models Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal models of post-traumatic stress disorder and recent neurobiological insights

Whitaker

Gilpin²,

Edwards

2014

Behavioural Pharmacology

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“…Specifically, there is accumulating evidence from neuroimaging studies that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) assumes an inhibitory role in cognition (Bush 1998; 2000; MacDonald et al, 2000). Consistent with this, neuroimaging studies in PTSD often show reduced activity in the mPFC and greater activity in the amygdala (Gilboa et al, 2004), reflecting a potential failure of the mPFC to inhibit an overactivated amygdala (e.g., Morgan & LeDoux, 1995; Bremner, 1999). The functional decline in the mPFC and amygdala is presumed to have a negative impact on information processing (Bremner et al, 1990).…”

Section: 1 An Analysis Of Inhibitory Functioning In Individuals Witmentioning

confidence: 78%

An analysis of inhibitory functioning in individuals with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder

Echiverri-Cohen

Zoellner

et al. 2016

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

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Cognitive abnormalities in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be a function of underlying inhibitory deficits. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) and attentional blink (AB) are paradigms thought to assess inhibition. Using a sample of 28 individuals with PTSD compared to 20 trauma-exposed and 19 healthy individuals, PPI was examined using white noise that was preceded by a tone, and AB was examined using a presentation of letters in a stream of numbers. Relative to the control group, the PTSD and trauma-exposed groups did not follow the u-shaped pattern in AB, suggesting trauma-exposure and subsequent PTSD are associated with similar impairment in attention. Individuals with PTSD showed reduced PPI compared to trauma-exposed and healthy individuals, suggesting individuals with PTSD exhibit faulty automatic processing. For individuals with PTSD, PTSD severity was associated with a decline in PPI. These findings suggest a general faulty inhibitory mechanism associated with trauma exposure and PTSD.

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Functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala in posttraumatic stress disorder

Cited by 185 publications

References 55 publications

Childhood Maltreatment and Combat Posttraumatic Stress Differentially Predict Fear-Related Fronto-Subcortical Connectivity

Childhood Maltreatment and Combat Posttraumatic Stress Differentially Predict Fear-Related Fronto-Subcortical Connectivity

Animal models of post-traumatic stress disorder and recent neurobiological insights

An analysis of inhibitory functioning in individuals with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder

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