Affect and Neural Activity in Women with PTSD During a Task of Emotional Interference

Wilson J. Brown; Jessica A. Wojtalik; Daniel Dewey; Steven E. Bruce; Steven E. Bruce; Zhen Yang; Yvette I. Sheline; Yvette I. Sheline

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.05.065

Affect and Neural Activity in Women with PTSD During a Task of Emotional Interference

Wilson J. Brown, Jessica A. Wojtalik, Daniel Dewey, Steven E. Bruce, Steven E. Bruce, Zhen Yang, Yvette I. Sheline, Yvette I. Sheline

University of Missouri-St. Louis

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

 Background
 The current study sought to determine the relationship between self-reported dimensions of affect and activation in brain regions associated with emotion regulation in PTSD during a task of non-conscious emotional processing in interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD and healthy controls.
 Methods
 Participants included 52 women diagnosed with PTSD and 18 female healthy controls. All participants completed a clinical assessment including the SCID, CAPS, and PANAS followed by a functional MRI assessment including a task of implicit emotional conflict.
 Results
 When PTSD participants were    oriented to   fearful faces, negative affect (NA) was inversely related to activation in the left amygdala and positive affect (PA) was inversely related to activation in the right amygdala. When    ignoring   fearful faces, NA was positively associated with activation in the right parahippocampal gyrus and PA was inversely related to activation in the left hippocampus. Similar results were observed in healthy controls regarding PA. However, NA was not significantly related to any region of interest in healthy controls.
 Limitations
 Limitations include the homogeneity of the healthy controls with regard to racial diversity, results may only be specific to female interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD, and neutral faces within the conflict task may be perceived as negative by clinical samples.
 Conclusions
 Persistent, increased NA may represent a proxy for disruptions in emotional processing in interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD. As such, clinicians may prioritize increasing emotional awareness through emotion regulation and/or distress tolerance strategies in this population.

Original language	American English
Journal	Journal of Affective Disorders
Volume	204
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.05.065
State	Published - Nov 1 2016

Keywords

Affect
Interpersonal trauma
Neuroimaging
PTSD
fMRI

Disciplines

Psychiatry
Psychology

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10.1016/j.jad.2016.05.065License: Unspecified

Cite this

@article{ab2af7c993fd48568b529e2a8a68ad1b,

title = "Affect and Neural Activity in Women with PTSD During a Task of Emotional Interference",

abstract = " Background The current study sought to determine the relationship between self-reported dimensions of affect and activation in brain regions associated with emotion regulation in PTSD during a task of non-conscious emotional processing in interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD and healthy controls. Methods Participants included 52 women diagnosed with PTSD and 18 female healthy controls. All participants completed a clinical assessment including the SCID, CAPS, and PANAS followed by a functional MRI assessment including a task of implicit emotional conflict. Results When PTSD participants were oriented to fearful faces, negative affect (NA) was inversely related to activation in the left amygdala and positive affect (PA) was inversely related to activation in the right amygdala. When ignoring fearful faces, NA was positively associated with activation in the right parahippocampal gyrus and PA was inversely related to activation in the left hippocampus. Similar results were observed in healthy controls regarding PA. However, NA was not significantly related to any region of interest in healthy controls. Limitations Limitations include the homogeneity of the healthy controls with regard to racial diversity, results may only be specific to female interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD, and neutral faces within the conflict task may be perceived as negative by clinical samples. Conclusions Persistent, increased NA may represent a proxy for disruptions in emotional processing in interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD. As such, clinicians may prioritize increasing emotional awareness through emotion regulation and/or distress tolerance strategies in this population.",

keywords = "Affect, Interpersonal trauma, Neuroimaging, PTSD, fMRI",

author = "Brown, {Wilson J.} and Wojtalik, {Jessica A.} and Daniel Dewey and Bruce, {Steven E.} and Bruce, {Steven E.} and Zhen Yang and Sheline, {Yvette I.} and Sheline, {Yvette I.}",

note = "JavaScript is disabled on your browser. Please enable JavaScript to use all the features on this page. * The relationship between affect and brain activation in PTSD is examined. * Negative affect is associated with amygdala and hippocampus activity in PTSD. * Results for positive affect are similar between PTSD and control groups.",

year = "2016",

month = nov,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.jad.2016.05.065",

language = "American English",

volume = "204",

journal = "Journal of Affective Disorders",

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T1 - Affect and Neural Activity in Women with PTSD During a Task of Emotional Interference

AU - Brown, Wilson J.

AU - Wojtalik, Jessica A.

AU - Dewey, Daniel

AU - Bruce, Steven E.

AU - Yang, Zhen

AU - Sheline, Yvette I.

N1 - JavaScript is disabled on your browser. Please enable JavaScript to use all the features on this page. * The relationship between affect and brain activation in PTSD is examined. * Negative affect is associated with amygdala and hippocampus activity in PTSD. * Results for positive affect are similar between PTSD and control groups.

PY - 2016/11/1

Y1 - 2016/11/1

N2 - Background The current study sought to determine the relationship between self-reported dimensions of affect and activation in brain regions associated with emotion regulation in PTSD during a task of non-conscious emotional processing in interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD and healthy controls. Methods Participants included 52 women diagnosed with PTSD and 18 female healthy controls. All participants completed a clinical assessment including the SCID, CAPS, and PANAS followed by a functional MRI assessment including a task of implicit emotional conflict. Results When PTSD participants were oriented to fearful faces, negative affect (NA) was inversely related to activation in the left amygdala and positive affect (PA) was inversely related to activation in the right amygdala. When ignoring fearful faces, NA was positively associated with activation in the right parahippocampal gyrus and PA was inversely related to activation in the left hippocampus. Similar results were observed in healthy controls regarding PA. However, NA was not significantly related to any region of interest in healthy controls. Limitations Limitations include the homogeneity of the healthy controls with regard to racial diversity, results may only be specific to female interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD, and neutral faces within the conflict task may be perceived as negative by clinical samples. Conclusions Persistent, increased NA may represent a proxy for disruptions in emotional processing in interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD. As such, clinicians may prioritize increasing emotional awareness through emotion regulation and/or distress tolerance strategies in this population.

AB - Background The current study sought to determine the relationship between self-reported dimensions of affect and activation in brain regions associated with emotion regulation in PTSD during a task of non-conscious emotional processing in interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD and healthy controls. Methods Participants included 52 women diagnosed with PTSD and 18 female healthy controls. All participants completed a clinical assessment including the SCID, CAPS, and PANAS followed by a functional MRI assessment including a task of implicit emotional conflict. Results When PTSD participants were oriented to fearful faces, negative affect (NA) was inversely related to activation in the left amygdala and positive affect (PA) was inversely related to activation in the right amygdala. When ignoring fearful faces, NA was positively associated with activation in the right parahippocampal gyrus and PA was inversely related to activation in the left hippocampus. Similar results were observed in healthy controls regarding PA. However, NA was not significantly related to any region of interest in healthy controls. Limitations Limitations include the homogeneity of the healthy controls with regard to racial diversity, results may only be specific to female interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD, and neutral faces within the conflict task may be perceived as negative by clinical samples. Conclusions Persistent, increased NA may represent a proxy for disruptions in emotional processing in interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD. As such, clinicians may prioritize increasing emotional awareness through emotion regulation and/or distress tolerance strategies in this population.

KW - Affect

KW - Interpersonal trauma

KW - Neuroimaging

KW - PTSD

KW - fMRI

UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032716304268

U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2016.05.065

DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2016.05.065

M3 - Article

VL - 204

JO - Journal of Affective Disorders

JF - Journal of Affective Disorders

ER -

Affect and Neural Activity in Women with PTSD During a Task of Emotional Interference

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