Examining the Neural Correlates of mTBI-related PTSD and Symptom Severity

Poster Session B - Sunday, April 14, 2024, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Jessica Black^1,2, Zachary Pierce²; ¹Boston College School of Social Work, ²Boston College Cell to Society Lab

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) disrupts lives and carries high social, health, and economic burdens for individuals and society. PTSD is more prevalent in certain subgroups including military service personnel (MSP). Extant findings indicate that PTSD is associated with worse biological, psychological, and social outcomes after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Here we aim to examine the neural correlates of mTBI-related PTSD in this population to elucidate the pathophysiology of both conditions and to build predictive models to identify MSPs most at risk of developing persistent symptoms. We used PubMed, EMBASE, and ScienceDirect to conduct a systematic search for recent studies using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in mTBI-related PTSD. Our systematic review processes yielded 33 studies for our review sample with 2,983 participants. Article quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 instrument. Our forest plot meta-analysis showed that PTSD/mTBI had a more significant effect on trauma symptom severity than PTSD alone (g = 1.82). Effects between mTBI subgroups were explored. Our ALE meta-analysis identified numerous dissociable nodes of hyper- and hypoconnectivity at rest between both groups. Our linear regression identified a significant correlation between increased symptom severity and functional connectivity among MSPs with PTSD/TBI. Our funnel plot also indicated that our review sample presented a minimal risk of publication bias (p = .710). Our findings may contribute to prediction models for symptom severity and treatment.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Other