Functional brain network topology in parents who lost their only child in China: Post-traumatic stress disorder and sex effects.
Adult
Bereavement
Brain
/ physiopathology
Brain Mapping
Child
China
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Hippocampus
/ physiopathology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Only Child
Parents
/ psychology
Sex Factors
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
/ physiopathology
Temporal Lobe
/ physiopathology
Young Adult
Magnetic resonance imaging
Only child loss
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Sex
Topology
Journal
Journal of affective disorders
ISSN: 1573-2517
Titre abrégé: J Affect Disord
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 7906073
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
01 10 2019
01 10 2019
Historique:
received:
18
05
2019
revised:
01
07
2019
accepted:
02
07
2019
pubmed:
30
7
2019
medline:
26
6
2020
entrez:
30
7
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with disruption of the brain network topology; however, little is known about the topological changes and sex effects in PTSD patients following a unique trauma, the loss of an only child, in China. Fifty-one lost-only-child parents with PTSD, 93 lost-only-child non-PTSD parents (NPTSD), and 50 healthy subjects underwent resting-state functional MRI. The whole-brain functional network was constructed by thresholding partial correlation matrices of 90 brain regions. Group differences in the topological properties, the diagnosis-by-sex interaction, and the relationships between topological metrics and clinical variables were investigated. Compared with healthy subjects, PTSD and NPTSD groups exhibited significantly shorter path lengths and higher nodal centralities in many brain regions across sexes; however, no significant difference was found between the PTSD and NPTSD groups. Additionally, the global topological metrics did not show any sex difference, whereas the nodal centralities in the left insula, right inferior frontal gyrus, and right posterior cingulate cortex differed significantly only in women, and the nodal centralities in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortices and left hippocampus were significantly different only in men. Furthermore, the nodal centralities of the right parahippocampus demonstrated significant diagnosis-by-sex interaction. Cross-sectional design of this study could not demonstrate the causality. The parents who lost their only child exhibited a shift toward randomization and significant nodal topological alterations independent of PTSD effects. Additionally, sex differences were observed primarily in the topological properties at the nodal level, which may indicate a neurobiological contribution to the greater incidence of PTSD in females.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with disruption of the brain network topology; however, little is known about the topological changes and sex effects in PTSD patients following a unique trauma, the loss of an only child, in China.
METHODS
Fifty-one lost-only-child parents with PTSD, 93 lost-only-child non-PTSD parents (NPTSD), and 50 healthy subjects underwent resting-state functional MRI. The whole-brain functional network was constructed by thresholding partial correlation matrices of 90 brain regions. Group differences in the topological properties, the diagnosis-by-sex interaction, and the relationships between topological metrics and clinical variables were investigated.
RESULTS
Compared with healthy subjects, PTSD and NPTSD groups exhibited significantly shorter path lengths and higher nodal centralities in many brain regions across sexes; however, no significant difference was found between the PTSD and NPTSD groups. Additionally, the global topological metrics did not show any sex difference, whereas the nodal centralities in the left insula, right inferior frontal gyrus, and right posterior cingulate cortex differed significantly only in women, and the nodal centralities in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortices and left hippocampus were significantly different only in men. Furthermore, the nodal centralities of the right parahippocampus demonstrated significant diagnosis-by-sex interaction.
LIMITATION
Cross-sectional design of this study could not demonstrate the causality.
CONCLUSIONS
The parents who lost their only child exhibited a shift toward randomization and significant nodal topological alterations independent of PTSD effects. Additionally, sex differences were observed primarily in the topological properties at the nodal level, which may indicate a neurobiological contribution to the greater incidence of PTSD in females.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31357160
pii: S0165-0327(19)31276-5
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.07.004
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
632-639Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.