Molecular Psychiatry, 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02012-3 · Published: March 17, 2023
Childhood trauma can increase the risk of developing trauma and stress-related disorders in adulthood. The study investigates how childhood trauma affects brain structure and its link to posttraumatic dysfunction after recent trauma exposure in adulthood. Researchers used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess white matter microstructure, specifically fractional anisotropy (FA), in participants' brains. They examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment, FA in various brain regions, and PTSD symptoms six months after the traumatic event. The study found that childhood maltreatment was associated with reduced FA in the internal capsule (IC), a critical white matter tract. This reduced FA in the IC mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms, suggesting a neural pathway through which childhood trauma may increase the risk of PTSD after adult trauma.
IC FA values may serve as a stable biomarker of later posttraumatic dysfunction in individuals with a history of childhood trauma.
The study highlights a specific neural pathway (IC microstructure) through which childhood trauma may increase the risk of acute stress reactions and PTSD in adulthood.
DTI imaging of the IC could potentially assist in identifying neural signatures of risk for later stress-related dysfunction in individuals with a history of childhood trauma.