Sripada, Rebecca K, King, Anthony P, Garfinkel, Sarah N, Wang, Xin, Sripada, Chandra S, Welsh, Robert C and Liberzon, Israel (2012) Altered resting-state amygdala functional connectivity in men with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 37 (4). pp. 241-249. ISSN 1180-4882

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Abstract

Background: Converging neuroimaging research suggests altered emotion neurocircuitry in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). Emotion activation studies in these individuals have shown hyperactivation in emotion-related regions, including the amygdala and
insula, and hypoactivation in emotion-regulation regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).
However, few studies have examined patterns of connectivity at rest in individuals with PTSD, a potentially powerful method for illuminating
brain network structure. Methods: Using the amygdala as a seed region, we measured resting-state brain connectivity using 3 T functional
magnetic resonance imaging in returning male veterans with PTSD and combat controls without PTSD. Results: Fifteen veterans with
PTSD and 14 combat controls enrolled in our study. Compared with controls, veterans with PTSD showed greater positive connectivity
between the amygdala and insula, reduced positive connectivity between the amygdala and hippocampus, and reduced anticorrelation
between the amygdala and dorsal ACC and rostral ACC. Limitations: Only male veterans with combat exposure were tested, thus our findings
cannot be generalized to women or to individuals with non–combat related PTSD. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that studies
of functional connectivity during resting state can discern aberrant patterns of coupling within emotion circuits and suggest a possible brain
basis for emotion-processing and emotion-regulation deficits in individuals with PTSD.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	Brighton and Sussex Medical School > Brighton and Sussex Medical School Brighton and Sussex Medical School > Neuroscience
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Depositing User:	Jonathan Williams
Date Deposited:	11 Sep 2015 15:18
Last Modified:	26 Sep 2017 11:33
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/56676

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