title: Sex differences in orbitofrontal connectivity in male and female veterans with TBI.
abstract: More female soldiers are now serving in combat theaters than at any other time. However, little is known about possible sex differences underlying the neuropathology and manifestation of one of modern war's signature injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI). The paucity of information regarding sex differences in TBI is particularly evident when examining changes in executive function and emotion regulation associated with post concussive events. The current study objective was to observe whether patterns of orbitofrontal (OFC) functional connectivity would differ between female veterans with TBI and their male counterparts. The study further sought to determine whether OFC connectivity might be differentially associated with clinical measures of aggression and hostility. Seventeen female veterans and 24 male veterans, age 18 to 25, who met criteria for TBI completed resting state magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical assessment measures. Imaging data were analyzed using left and right seed regions of the OFC, and regression analyses were conducted to observe the relationship between resting state connectivity and self-reported aggression. Females and males in this study differed in OFC connectivity, with females demonstrating greater connectivity between left and right OFC and parietal and occipital regions and males demonstrating greater connectivity between left and right OFC and frontal and temporal regions. Significant associations between resting state connectivity and clinical measures were found only in male veterans. These findings suggest that TBI may interact with sex-specific patterns of brain connectivity in male and female veterans and exert divergent effects on clinical profiles of aggression post-injury.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. erin.mcglade@hsc.utah.edu.|VISN 19 MIRECC, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. erin.mcglade@hsc.utah.edu.|University of Utah Brain Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. erin.mcglade@hsc.utah.edu.
authors: Erin
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2234-1984
authors: E
authors: McGlade
authors: University of Utah Brain Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Jadwiga
authors: J
authors: Rogowska
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.|VISN 19 MIRECC, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.|University of Utah Brain Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Deborah
authors: D
authors: Yurgelun-Todd
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012146:Rest; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aggression; Functional connectivity; Orbitofrontal; Traumatic Brain Injury