Reduced Default Mode Network Connectivity Following Combat Trauma

Overview

Journal Neurosci Lett

Specialty Neurology

Date 2016 Jan 23

PMID 26797653

Citations 38

Authors

Julia A DiGangi

Armin Tadayyon

Daniel A Fitzgerald

Christine A Rabinak

Amy Kennedy

Heide Klumpp

Sheila A M Rauch

K Luan Phan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Recent studies show decreased functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) in PTSD; however, few have directly examined combat trauma specifically. There is limited understanding of how combat itself may affect the DMN. Some literature suggests that trauma exposure, rather than PTSD, can disrupt the DMN. To further elucidate the effect of trauma and PTSD on the DMN, we investigated DMN functional connectivity during the resting-state in veterans with PTSD, combat-exposed controls, and never-traumatized healthy controls. Results revealed that DMN connectivity was reduced in veterans exposed to combat trauma with and without PTSD compared to healthy civilian controls. Specifically, both groups of veterans demonstrated weaker connectivity within a network involving the precuneus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and right superior parietal lobule regardless of whether the mPFC or precuneus was chosen as a seed region. Findings suggest that the experience of trauma, rather than the pathology of PTSD, may be related to DMN changes.

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