Cited by 230Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesTraumatic Brain Injury Research

Altered amygdala resting-state functional connectivity in post-traumatic stress disorder

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Rabinak, Christine A., Angstadt, Mike, Welsh, Robert C., Kenndy, Amy E., Lyubkin, Mark, Martis, Brian, Phan, K. Luan·2011·Frontiers in Psychiatry

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often characterized by aberrant amygdala activation and functional abnormalities in corticolimbic circuitry, as elucidated by functional neuroimaging. These "activation" studies have primarily relied on tasks designed to induce region-specific, and task-dependent brain responses in limbic (e.g., amygdala) and paralimbic brain areas through the use of aversive evocative probes. It remains unknown if these corticolimbic circuit abnormalities exist at baseline or "at rest," in the absence of fear/anxiety-related provocation and outside the context of task demands. Therefore the primary aim of the present experiment was to investigate aberrant amygdala functional connectivity patterns in combat-related PTSD patients during resting-state. Seventeen Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans with combat-related PTSD (PTSD group) and 17 combat-exposed OEF/OIF veterans without PTSD [combat-exposed control (CEC) group] underwent an 8-min resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Using an anatomically derived amygdala "seed" region we observed stronger functional coupling between the amygdala and insula in the PTSD group compared to the CEC group, but did not find group differences in amygdala-prefrontal connectivity. These findings suggest that the aberrant amygdala and insula activation to fear-evocative probes previously characterized in PTSD may be driven by an underlying enhanced connectivity between the amygdala, a region known for perceiving threat and generating fear responses, and the insula, a region known for processing the meaning and prediction of aversive bodily states. This enhanced amygdala-insula connectivity may reflect an exaggerated, pervasive state of arousal that exists outside the presence of an overt actual threat/danger. Studying amygdala functional connectivity "at rest" extends our understanding of the pathophysiology of PTSD.

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  1. Walter B. Blecker C. Kirsch P. Sammer G. Schienle A. Stark R. Vaitl D. (2003). “MARINA: an easy tool for the creation for MAsks for Region of INterest Analyses,” in 9th International Conference on Functional Mapping of the Human Brain: NeuroImage

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Authors
Rabinak, C. A., Angstadt, M., Welsh, R. C., Kenndy, A. E., Lyubkin, M., Martis, B., & Phan, K. L.
Affiliations
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (US)
Corresponding author
Phan, K. Luan
Venue
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Published
2011
Volume
2
Pages
62-62
ISSN
1664-0640 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2074583405
Cited by
230
References
112
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 9
FWCI
15.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Sussex Research Online (University of Sussex) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Keywords
post-traumatic stress disorder, amygdala, resting-state functional connectivity, insula, combat veterans, corticolimbic circuitry, hyperarousal, combat exposure

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