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Regional cerebral changes and functional connectivity during the observation of negative emotional stimuli in subjects with post-traumatic stress disorder

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Abstract

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit exaggerated brain responses to emotionally negative stimuli. Identifying the neural correlates of emotion regulation in these subjects is important for elucidating the neural circuitry involved in emotional dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the functional connectivity between the areas activated during emotional processing of negative stimuli in a sample of individuals affected by PTSD compared to a group of healthy subjects. Ten subjects with PTSD (who survived the L’Aquila 2009 earthquake) and ten healthy controls underwent fMRI during which the participants observed 80 images: 40 pictures with negative emotional valence and 40 neutral (scrambled) stimuli. A higher activation was found in the left posterior (LP) insula for PTSD group and in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) for the healthy group. Two sets of Granger causality modeling analyses were performed to examine the directed influence from LP-insula and vmPFC to other brain regions. Activity in the vmPFC in the healthy group while observing negative stimuli predicted activity in several subcortical regions and insula, while in the PTSD group the LP-insula exerted a positive directed influence on several cortical regions. The hyperactivation in PTSD subjects of subcortical areas such as the insula would underlie the emotional, social, and relational difficulties of PTSD patients.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been partially supported by a grant of the “Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio della Provincia dell’Aquila” (CARISPAQ 2011) to Michele Ferrara.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, Località Coppito, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy

    Monica Mazza, Daniela Tempesta, Maria Chiara Pino & Michele Ferrara

  2. Department of Neuroradiology, “San Salvatore” Hospital, L’Aquila, Italy

    Alessia Catalucci & Massimo Gallucci

Authors
  1. Monica Mazza
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  2. Daniela Tempesta
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  3. Maria Chiara Pino
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  4. Alessia Catalucci
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  5. Massimo Gallucci
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  6. Michele Ferrara
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Correspondence to Monica Mazza.

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Mazza, M., Tempesta, D., Pino, M.C. et al. Regional cerebral changes and functional connectivity during the observation of negative emotional stimuli in subjects with post-traumatic stress disorder. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 263, 575–583 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-013-0394-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-013-0394-3

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