Brain connectivity is lower in adults with PTSD or a history of sexual  
  abuse  
   Adults with a history of sexual abuse or with maltreatment-related  
  posttraumatic stress disorder have reduced brain connectivity  
    
    Date:  
        October 27, 2021  
    Source:  
        Medical University of South Carolina  
    Summary:  
        A study has found that adults with maltreatment-related  
        posttraumatic stress disorder or a history of sexual abuse have  
        lower brain connectivity in the attention systems known as the  
        ventral and dorsal attention network. These networks enable us  
        to shift attention from external events to a specific task. The  
        team also found that oxytocin, a hormone associated with social  
        affiliation as well as stress response, increases brain connectivity  
        in those systems.  
    
    
    
  FULL STORY  
  ==========================================================================  
  A study conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in  
  adults with a history of childhood maltreatment showed that two groups --  
  those with a history of sexual abuse and those with posttraumatic stress  
  disorder (PTSD) - - had reduced brain connectivity in the attention  
  systems known as the ventral and dorsal attention network (VAN-DAN). No  
  such reduction was seen in adults with a history of physical abuse,  
  nor in those who did not develop PTSD. The team, which was led by MUSC  
  neuroscientist Jane Joseph, Ph.D., also showed that connectivity in  
  the VAN-DAN systems increased after treatment with oxytocin, a hormone  
  associated with social affiliations and the stress response. The team's  
  findings are published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.  
    
    
  ==========================================================================  
  "We believe that these findings contribute to the field by helping us  
  to understand better how the connection between the brain's attention  
  systems may be involved in whether PTSD develops after childhood trauma,"  
  explained Kathleen Crum, Ph.D., lead author of the article. Crum, who  
  was at MUSC at the time of the study, has since transitioned to a faculty  
  position in the Department of Psychiatry at the Indiana University School  
  of Medicine.  
    
  Abuse during childhood is a major risk factor for PTSD. Indeed,  
  children who experience any form of abuse are 70% more likely to develop  
  PTSD. Sexual abuse during childhood disrupts brain development and is  
  theorized to be associated with betrayal trauma, which occurs when a  
  person's trust in an institution or loved one is violated by abuse.  
    
  "Current psychology literature suggests the possibility of something known  
  as betrayal trauma," Crum explained. "People perceive events differently  
  depending on the form of abuse."  For example, study participants with  
  a history of sexual abuse had reduced VAN- DAN connectivity, regardless  
  of whether they went on to develop PTSD, whereas those with a history  
  of physical abuse did not.  
    
  VAN and DAN each play a unique role in the regulation of attention,  
  according to Crum.  
    
    
    
  ==========================================================================  
  "DAN is a network in the brain that is responsible for voluntary  
  attention, while VAN is the process of shifting or reorienting our  
  attention to another event," said Crum. "They act as a push-pull  
  mechanism; while one action occurs, the other cannot."  Joseph and Crum  
  wanted to study the VAN-DAN network because patients with PTSD often  
  find it difficult to reorient their attention.  
    
  "Individuals with PTSD have difficulty disengaging attention from  
  threat- related cues, including cues that remind them of their traumatic  
  experiences," explained Crum. "Individuals with PTSD may also tend to  
  interpret neutral cues as threat-related. Collectively, these problems  
  affect their ability to direct their attention to the task at hand  
  in their everyday lives."  It is thought that the "fight or flight"  
  response may be hyperactive in these individuals, which may account for  
  this difficulty with shifting their attention. Crum provided an example  
  to illustrate why it can be difficult for people with PTSD to concentrate  
  on a specific task when their perception of external threat is heightened.  
    
  "Imagine a scenario where you are parachuting or skydiving and someone  
  asks you to do a complex math problem -- how well would you do on that  
  math problem?"  asked Crum. "The focus on survival and staying out  
  of danger can compete with performing everyday tasks, like holding a  
  conversation or doing our work."  The team wanted to measure VAN-DAN  
  connectivity at rest because it enabled them to compare differences in  
  connectivity without the demands of a specific task.  
    
    
    
  ==========================================================================  
  To measure resting-state connectivity, the team placed participants in  
  an MRI scanner and asked them to focus on a cross on a screen, allowing  
  their attention systems to remain at rest. Participants with PTSD or  
  a history of sexual abuse showed decreased resting-state functional  
  connectivity between the VAN and DAN regions, suggesting decreased  
  connectivity between the two.  
    
  The effect of the hormone oxytocin was also explored in relation to  
  decreased connectivity. Oxytocin is thought to act on the attention  
  network system and is being studied nationally as a potential treatment  
  for PTSD and childhood trauma, including at MUSC.  
    
  "Oxytocin is very important for social bonding and stress reduction,"  
  explained Joseph. "While PTSD does not always originate from social and  
  personal trauma, oxytocin seems to be beneficial in stressful situations,  
  which is why it is being explored as a treatment for this disorder."  
  Crum believes the next step for the field would be to examine how trauma  
  exposure itself affects attention network connectivity.  
    
  "Existing research suggests that trauma exposure is associated with  
  changes in the brain and its functions, regardless of a PTSD diagnosis,"  
  stated Crum.  
    
  "Future work should analyze the differences between  
  trauma exposure and traumatic stress in groups exposed  
  to trauma who did and did not develop PTSD, as well as  
  a third group who did not experience any trauma whatsoever."  
  ==========================================================================  
  Story Source: Materials provided by  
  Medical_University_of_South_Carolina. Original written by Connor  
  Graham. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.  
    
    
  ==========================================================================  
  Journal Reference:  
     1. Kathleen I. Crum, Julianne C. Flanagan, Brandon Vaughan, Joseph  
     Aloi,  
        Megan M. Moran-Santa Maria, Sudie E. Back, Kathleen T. Brady,  
        Jane E.  
    
        Joseph. Oxytocin, PTSD, and sexual abuse are associated with  
        attention network intrinsic functional connectivity. Psychiatry  
        Research: Neuroimaging, 2021; 316: 111345 DOI:  
        10.1016/j.pscychresns.2021.111345  
  ==========================================================================  
    
  Link to news story:  
  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211027121948.htm  
    
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