title: Reduced default mode network connectivity following combat trauma.
abstract: Recent studies show decreased functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) in PTSD; however, few have directly examined combat trauma specifically. There is limited understanding of how combat itself may affect the DMN. Some literature suggests that trauma exposure, rather than PTSD, can disrupt the DMN. To further elucidate the effect of trauma and PTSD on the DMN, we investigated DMN functional connectivity during the resting-state in veterans with PTSD, combat-exposed controls, and never-traumatized healthy controls. Results revealed that DMN connectivity was reduced in veterans exposed to combat trauma with and without PTSD compared to healthy civilian controls. Specifically, both groups of veterans demonstrated weaker connectivity within a network involving the precuneus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and right superior parietal lobule regardless of whether the mPFC or precuneus was chosen as a seed region. Findings suggest that the experience of trauma, rather than the pathology of PTSD, may be related to DMN changes.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Service Line, Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: jdigangi@psych.uic.edu.
authors.forename: Julia A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: DiGangi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tadayyon
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Service Line, Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pharmacy Practice, Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Christine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rabinak
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Service Line, Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Heide
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Klumpp
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta VA Medical Center, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Sheila A M
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rauch
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Service Line, Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology and the Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: K Luan
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Phan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000067398:War-Related Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Combat; DMN; PTSD; Rest; Trauma; fMRI