title: CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT PREDICTS REDUCED INHIBITION-RELATED ACTIVITY IN THE ROSTRAL ANTERIOR CINGULATE IN PTSD, BUT NOT TRAUMA-EXPOSED CONTROLS.
abstract: A deficit in the ability to inhibit fear has been proposed as a biomarker of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous research indicates that individuals with PTSD show reduced inhibition-related activation in rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC). The goal of the current study was to investigate differential influences of an early environmental risk factor for PTSD-childhood maltreatment-on inhibition-related brain function in individuals with PTSD versus trauma-exposed controls.
  
  
  
  Individuals with PTSD (n = 37) and trauma-exposed controls (n = 53) were recruited from the primary care waiting rooms of an urban public hospital in Atlanta, GA. Participants completed an inhibition task during fMRI, and reported childhood and adult traumatic experiences. The groups were matched for adult and child trauma load.
  
  
  
  We observed an interaction between childhood maltreatment severity and PTSD status in the rACC (P < .05, corrected), such that maltreatment was negatively associated with inhibition-related rACC activation in the PTSD group, but did not influence rACC activation in the TC group. Rostral ACC activation was associated with inhibition-related task performance in the TC group but not the PTSD group, suggesting a possible contribution to stress resilience.
  
  
  
  Findings highlight individual differences in neural function following childhood trauma, and point to inhibition-related activation in rostral ACC as a risk factor for PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Ely
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.|Ominato Medical Service Unit, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sawamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Dora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.|Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia.
authors.forename: Bekh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.|Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts.|Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Kerry J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Ressler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jovanovic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: development; fMRI; neuroimaging; prefrontal cortex; stress