1Mental Health Institute, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, China
2Shenyang Gongan Hospital, Shenyang 110003, China
3Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
4Department of Psychiatry, University of California–San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
5VA San Diego Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, San Diego, California, USA
6VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA
7China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
8Guangdong Mental Health Institute, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou
510120, China
9Mianzhu Psychiatric Hospital, Deyang 618200, China
10Mental Health Center of Sichuan Province, Mianyang 621000, China
11Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
12Huaxi MR Research Center, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China

Abstract 

Objective Little is known about the brain systems that contribute to vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Comparison of the resting-state patterns of intrinsic functional synchronization, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), between groups with and without PTSD following a traumatic event can help identify the neural mechanisms of the disorder and targets for intervention. Methods Fifty-four PTSD patients and 72 matched traumatized subjects who experienced the 2008 Sichuan earthquake were imaged with blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI and analyzed using the measure of regional homogeneity (ReHo) during the resting state. Results PTSD patients presented enhanced ReHo in the left inferior parietal lobule and right superior frontal gyrus, and reduced ReHo in the right middle temporal gyrus and lingual gyrus, relative to traumatized individuals without PTSD. Conclusion Our findings showed that abnormal brain activity exists under resting conditions in PTSD patients who had been exposed to a major earthquake. Alterations in the local functional connectivity of cortical regions are likely to contribute to the neural mechanisms underlying PTSD.

Keywords

functional magnetic resonance imaging; post-traumatic stress disorder; regional homogeneity; resting-state

[SpringerLink]