title: Childhood maltreatment is associated with alteration in global network fiber-tract architecture independent of history of depression and anxiety.
abstract: Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for psychopathology. It is also associated with alterations in the network architecture of the brain, which we hypothesized may play a significant role in the development of psychopathology. In this study, we analyzed the global network architecture of physically healthy unmedicated 18-25 year old subjects (n=262) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) MRI and tractography. Anatomical networks were constructed from fiber streams interconnecting 90 cortical or subcortical regions for subjects with no-to-low (n=122) versus moderate-to-high (n=140) exposure to maltreatment. Graph theory analysis revealed lower degree, strength, global efficiency, and maximum Laplacian spectra, higher pathlength, small-worldness and Laplacian skewness, and less deviation from artificial networks in subjects with moderate-to-high exposure to maltreatment. On balance, local clustering was similar in both groups, but the different clusters were more strongly interconnected in the no-to-low exposure group. History of major depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder did not have a significant impact on global network measures over and above the effect of maltreatment. Maltreatment is an important factor that needs to be taken into account in studies examining the relationship between network differences and psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: kohashi@mclean.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478, USA; CooperRiis Healing Community, 101 Healing Farm Lane, Mill Spring, NC 28756, USA.
authors.forename: Carl M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Bolger
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Alaptagin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: McGreenery
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: martin_teicher@hms.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Martin H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Teicher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002649:Child Abuse; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Abuse and neglect; Brain networks; Childhood maltreatment; Depression; Diffusion tensor imaging; Graph theory