Resting‐state functional connectivity of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in post‐traumatic stress disorder and its dissociative subtype
Daniela Rabellino, Maria Densmore, Sherain Harricharan, Jean Théberge, Margaret C Mckinnon, Ruth A. Lanius
Human Brain Mapping December 20, 2017 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23925 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional resting-state fMRI study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 161 |
| Population | Adults with PTSD (n = 70), its dissociative subtype (n = 41), and healthy controls (n = 50) |
| Topics | PTSD |
| Citations | 64 |
| Key findings | PTSD showed increased BNST functional connectivity with reward-system regions (ventral and dorsal striatum) compared with controls, while PTSD with the dissociative subtype showed increased BNST connectivity with the claustrum and with attention and salience regions (anterior insula and caudate nucleus) compared with both PTSD and controls. BNST connectivity with default-mode network regions correlated positively with state identity dissociation, which the authors propose may contribute to disrupted self-relevant processing in the dissociative subtype. |
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminals (BNST) is a subcortical structure involved in anticipatory and sustained reactivity to threat and is thus essential to the understanding of anxiety and stress responses. Although chronic stress and anxiety represent a hallmark of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to date, few studies have examined the functional connectivity of the BNST in PTSD. Here, we used resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to investigate the functional connectivity of the BNST in PTSD (n = 70), its dissociative subtype (PTSD + DS) (n = 41), and healthy controls (n = 50). In comparison to controls, PTSD showed increased functional connectivity of the BNST with regions of the reward system (ventral and dorsal striatum), possibly underlying stress-induced reward-seeking behaviors in PTSD. By contrast, comparing PTSD + DS to controls, we observed increased functional connectivity of the BNST with the claustrum, a brain region implicated in consciousness and a primary site of kappa-opioid receptors, which are critical to the dynorphin-mediated dysphoric stress response. Moreover, PTSD + DS showed increased functional connectivity of the BNST with brain regions involved in attention and salience detection (anterior insula and caudate nucleus) as compared to PTSD and controls. Finally, BNST functional connectivity positively correlated with default-mode network regions as a function of state identity dissociation, suggesting a role of BNST networks in the disruption of self-relevant processing characterizing the dissociative subtype. These findings represent an important first step in elucidating the role of the BNST in aberrant functional networks underlying PTSD and its dissociative subtype.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Veterans with chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder seeking treatment at a VA... | 2013 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual comparison group | n = 37 |
| Sensory overload and imbalance: Resting-state vestibular connectivity in PTSD and its dissociative subtype. Adults with PTSD, PTSD dissociative subtype, and healthy controls | 2017 | Cross-sectional, seed-based resting-state fMRI study | n = 141 |
| Altered Sense of Body Ownership and Agency in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Its Dissociative Subtype: A Rubber Hand Illusion Study Adults with PTSD (n=4), PTSD with dissociative subtype (n=6), and healthy controls (n=7) | 2018 | Case-control experimental study | n = 17 |
| Superior colliculus resting state networks in post‐traumatic stress disorder and its dissociative subtype Adults with PTSD (n = 67), its dissociative subtype (n = 41), and healthy controls (n =... | 2017 | Observational cross-sectional resting-state fMRI study | n = 158 |
| Feasibility and effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for improving resilience, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and posttraumatic growth among military medical college students. Medical students at a military college | 2024 | Quasi-experimental with control group | n = 372 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Effects of a dissociative drug on fronto-limbic resting-state functional connectivity in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled pilot study. Psychopharmacology October 23, 2023
- Peripersonal Space and Bodily Self-Consciousness: Implications for Psychological Trauma-Related Disorders Frontiers in Neuroscience December 10, 2020
- Structural and functional brain alterations in psychiatric patients with dissociative experiences: A systematic review of magnetic resonance imaging studies. Journal of Psychiatric Research May 13, 2020
- PTSD and its dissociative subtype through the lens of the insula: Anterior and posterior insula resting-state functional connectivity and its predictive validity using machine learning. Psychophysiology September 10, 2019
- The cerebellum after trauma: Resting-state functional connectivity of the cerebellum in posttraumatic stress disorder and its dissociative subtype. Human Brain Mapping April 17, 2018
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and 1 more in the library