title: Early life stress predicts thalamic hyperconnectivity: A transdiagnostic study of global connectivity.
abstract: Early life stress (ELS) is an established risk factor for psychiatric illness and is associated with altered functional connectivity within- and between intrinsic neural networks. The widespread nature of these disruptions suggests that broad imaging measures of neural connectivity, such as global based connectivity (GBC), may be particularly appropriate for studies of this population. GBC is designed to identify brain regions having maximal functional connectedness with the rest of the brain, and alterations in GBC may reflect a restriction or broadening of network synchronization. We evaluated whether ELS severity predicted GBC in a sample (N = 46) with a spectrum of ELS exposure. Participants included healthy controls without ELS, those with at least moderate ELS but without psychiatric disorders, and a group of patients with ELS- related psychiatric disorders. The spatial distribution of GBC peaked in regions of the salience and default mode networks, and ELS severity predicted increased GBC of the left thalamus (corrected p < 0.005, r = 0.498). Thalamic connectivity was subsequently evaluated and revealed reduced connectivity with the salience network, particularly the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (corrected p < 0.005), only in the patient group. These findings support a model of disrupted thalamic connectivity in ELS and trauma-related negative affect states, and underscore the importance of a transdiagnostic, dimensional neuroimaging approach to understanding the sequelae of trauma exposure.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA; Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, USA. Electronic address: Noah_Philip@Brown.edu.
authors.forename: Noah S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Philip
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, USA.
authors.forename: Audrey R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Tyrka
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Albright
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Sweet
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, USA.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, USA.
authors.forename: Linda L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Carpenter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development / Q000503:physiopathology; D012146:Rest; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Default mode network; Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex; Early life stress; Functional connectivity; Salience network; Thalamus