title: Anomalous gray matter structural networks in recent onset post-traumatic stress disorder.
abstract: Alterations of the topological organization of abnormal regions or network-level structural aberrations are still poorly understood for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Herein, we investigated brain structural networks in recent-onset PTSD patients, all affected by the coalmine-flood disaster. Cortical networks were studied in recent onset PTSD patients (n = 15) and matched healthy controls (n = 25). Cortical networks were constructed by thresholding correlation matrices of 150 regions and quantified using graph theoretical approaches. Contributions of high-degree nodes, and regional and global network measures, including degree and betweenness, were studied. Compared with healthy controls, PTSD patients showed altered quantitative values in global network properties, characterized by shorter path length and higher clustering. Moreover, PTSD patients exhibited decreased connectivity in the right lingual gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, bilateral superior and inferior frontal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, and posterior cingulate gyrus. Nodal centrality decreased predominantly in the occipital regions (lingual gyrus) and default-mode regions, while increased correlations and centralities were observed in the medial temporal lobe and posterior cingulate cortex. PTSD-related networks exhibited a less efficient organization and regional connectivity. According to these findings, we conclude that regional connections involving fear-processing and re-experiential-processing cortex may play a role in maintaining or adapting to PTSD pathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No.127 West Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710032, China.|Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 277 West Yanta Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China.
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Yun-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No.127 West Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Long-Biao
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No.127 West Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Rong
authors.initials: QR
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No.127 West Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No.127 West Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Bin
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA.
authors.forename: Nan-Yin
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Program in Bioengineering, UC San Francisco, Byers Hall, Room 102D, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94158-2330, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao-Liang
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 277 West Yanta Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China. yj1118@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No.127 West Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710032, China. yinhong@fmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D055868:Floods; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008906:Mining; D009929:Organ Size; D018454:Spouses; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D017741:Survivors
keywords: Cortex thickness; Gray matter; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Small world networks; Structural networks