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Research ArticleResearch Article: New Research, Disorders of the Nervous System

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated with α Dysrhythmia across the Visual Cortex and the Default Mode Network

Kevin J. Clancy, Jeremy A. Andrzejewski, Jessica Simon, Mingzhou Ding, Norman B. Schmidt and Wen Li
eNeuro 20 July 2020, 7 (4) ENEURO.0053-20.2020; https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0053-20.2020
Kevin J. Clancy
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304
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Jeremy A. Andrzejewski
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304
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Jessica Simon
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304
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Mingzhou Ding
2J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
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Norman B. Schmidt
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304
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Wen Li
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304
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Abstract

Anomalies in default mode network (DMN) activity and α (8–12 Hz) oscillations have been independently observed in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent spatiotemporal analyses suggest that α oscillations support DMN functioning via interregional synchronization and sensory cortical inhibition. Therefore, we examined a unifying pathology of α deficits in the visual-cortex-DMN system in PTSD. Human patients with PTSD (N = 25) and two control groups, patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; N = 24) and healthy controls (HCs; N = 20), underwent a standard eyes-open resting state (S-RS) and a modified resting state (M-RS) of passively viewing salient images (known to deactivate the DMN). High-density electroencephalogram (hdEEG) were recorded, from which intracortical α activity (power and connectivity/Granger causality) was extracted using the exact low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA). Patients with PTSD (vs GAD/HC) demonstrated attenuated α power in the visual cortex (VC) and key hubs of the DMN [posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)] at both states, the severity of which further correlated with hypervigilance symptoms. With increased visual input (at M-RS vs S-RS), patients with PTSD further demonstrated reduced α-frequency directed connectivity within the DMN (PCC→mPFC) and, importantly, from the VC to both DMN hubs (VC→PCC and VC→mPFC), linking α deficits in the two systems. These interrelated α deficits align with DMN hypoactivity/hypoconnectivity, sensory disinhibition, and hypervigilance in PTSD, representing a unifying neural underpinning of these anomalies. The identification of visual-cortex-DMN α dysrhythmia in PTSD further presents a novel therapeutic target, promoting network-based intervention of neural oscillations.

  • α oscillations
  • default mode network
  • posttraumatic stress disorder
  • resting state
  • sensory disinhibition

Footnotes

  • The authors declare no competing financial interests.

  • This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health Grant R01MH093413 (to W.L.), the Florida State University Chemical Senses Training Grant Award T32DC000044 (to K.J.C.) from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication, and the Subaward of United States Army Award W81XWH-10-2-018 (to N.B.S.).

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided that the original work is properly attributed.

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated with α Dysrhythmia across the Visual Cortex and the Default Mode Network
Kevin J. Clancy, Jeremy A. Andrzejewski, Jessica Simon, Mingzhou Ding, Norman B. Schmidt, Wen Li
eNeuro 20 July 2020, 7 (4) ENEURO.0053-20.2020; DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0053-20.2020

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated with α Dysrhythmia across the Visual Cortex and the Default Mode Network
Kevin J. Clancy, Jeremy A. Andrzejewski, Jessica Simon, Mingzhou Ding, Norman B. Schmidt, Wen Li
eNeuro 20 July 2020, 7 (4) ENEURO.0053-20.2020; DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0053-20.2020
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Keywords

  • α oscillations
  • default mode network
  • posttraumatic stress disorder
  • resting state
  • sensory disinhibition

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