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Cited by 31Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchTraumatic Brain Injury ResearchAdvanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications

Multimodal structural neuroimaging markers of risk and recovery from posttrauma anhedonia: A prospective investigation

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Harnett, Nathaniel G., Stevens, Jennifer S., Rooij, Sanne J. H., Ely, Timothy D., Michopoulos, Vasiliki, Hudak, Lauren, Jovanovic, Tanja, Rothbaum, Barbara O. +2 more·2021·Depression and Anxiety
DOI 10.1002/da.23104PMC PMC7785637
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Anhedonic symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reflect deficits in reward processing that have significant functional consequences. Although recent evidence suggests that disrupted integrity of fronto-limbic circuitry is related to PTSD development, including anhedonic PTSD symptoms (posttrauma anhedonia [PTA]), little is known about potential structural biomarkers of long-term PTA as well as structural changes in fronto-limbic pathways associated with recovery from PTA over time. METHODS: We investigated associations between white matter microstructure, gray matter volume, and PTA in 75 recently traumatized individuals, with a subset of participants (n = 35) completing follow-up assessment 12 months after trauma exposure. Deterministic tractography and voxel-based morphometry were used to assess changes in white and gray matter structure associated with changes in PTA. RESULTS: Reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) of the uncinate fasciculus at around the time of trauma predicted greater PTA at 12-months posttrauma. Further, increased FA of the fornix over time was associated with lower PTA between 1 and 12-months posttrauma. Increased gray matter volume of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and precuneus over time was also associated with reduced PTA. CONCLUSIONS: The microstructure of the uncinate fasciculus, an amygdala-prefrontal white matter connection, may represent a biomarker of vulnerability for later PTA. Conversely, development and recovery from PTA appear to be facilitated by white and gray matter structural changes in a major hippocampal pathway, the fornix. The present findings shed new light on neuroanatomical substrates of recovery from PTA and characterize white matter biomarkers of risk for posttraumatic dysfunction.

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  • Increased gray matter volume of the vmPFC was associated with reduced trauma-related symptoms over the 12 months following trauma.

    “Furthermore, as the traumatized participants were followed over time, increased gray matter volume of the vmPFC was also associated with reduced trauma-related symptoms over the 12 months following trauma [157].”

    From Prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and threat processing: implications for PTSD (2022) · cites this paper as [157]

    The Results section reports that increases in vmPFC gray matter volume were associated with reductions in posttrauma anhedonia (PTA) between the 1- and 12-month assessments. The claim broadens this specific finding to trauma-related symptoms generally, which the cited result does not establish. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Reduced fractional anisotropy of the uncinate fasciculus at around the time of trauma predicted greater PTSD symptoms, in particular posttraumatic anhedonia, at 12 months post-trauma.

    “Using DTI and structural imaging in the weeks following trauma exposure, research has shown that reduced fractional anisotropy of the uncinate fasciculus at around the time of trauma predicted greater PTSD symptoms (in particular posttraumatic anhedonia) at 12 months post-trauma.”

    From Prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and threat processing: implications for PTSD (2022) · cites this paper as [157]

    The Results section (White matter microstructural associations with 1- and 12-month PTA) reports that lower uncinate fasciculus fractional anisotropy was associated with greater posttraumatic anhedonia at 12 months. It reports an association with re-experiencing symptoms at one month, but does not establish that lower anisotropy predicted greater overall PTSD symptoms at 12 months. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Harnett, N. G., Stevens, J. S., Rooij, S. J. H., Ely, T. D., Michopoulos, V., Hudak, L., Jovanovic, T., Rothbaum, B. O., Ressler, K. J., & Fani, N.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Emory University (US)
  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Emory University Atlanta Georgia USA
Corresponding author
Fani, Negar
ORCID
Venue
Depression and Anxiety
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2020-11-10
Volume
38
Issue
1
Pages
79-88
ISSN
  • 1091-4269 (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-6394
DOI
10.1002/da.23104
PMC
PMC7785637
OpenAlex
W3099762630
Cited by
31
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7
FWCI
2.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Depression and Anxiety (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (K00 MH119603, R01 MH094757, F32 MH101976, K23 MH101380, R21 MH106902, U01 MH110925)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
Keywords
post-traumatic stress disorder, reward processing, uncinate fasciculus, fornix, fractional anisotropy, white matter microstructure, gray matter volume, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, structural biomarkers, trauma recovery, amygdala-prefrontal connectivity
MeSH terms
Humans, Prospective Studies, Biomarkers, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Anhedonia, Neuroimaging, White Matter

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