Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands; Clinical, Health and Neuropsychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2017 Nov;85:172-178. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.019. Epub 2017 Aug 26.
Neurobiological research has traditionally focused on vulnerability rather than on resilience to severe stress. So far, only a few neuroimaging studies examining resilience have used designs that allow disentangling of the neural correlates of resilience from those related to psychopathology or trauma-exposure. The aim of this study was to identify structural brain correlates of resilience, and their correlations with behavioral measures.
MRI scanning was performed in three groups of police officers: (1) a resilient group (N=29; trauma-exposed, no psychopathology), (2) a vulnerable group (N=33; trauma-exposed, psychopathology), and (3) a control group (N=19; no trauma, no psychopathology). Using whole brain and region-of-interest approaches, we examined gray matter volume and shapes, and white matter integrity using software tools from the FSL-library.
We did not find patterns of gray matter volumes or shape specific for the resilient group. In resilient police officers, we found an increase in structural connectivity in the corticopontine tract. White matter integrity in this location correlated with a coping style of positive reappraisal.
Resilient police officers show a specific pattern of increased structural connectivity, which is associated to the use of higher order emotion regulation strategies. Given this finding in an area that has not been implicated in stress-related disorders before, as well as the null findings in areas repeatedly shown to be involved in stress-related disorders, the current study indicates that resilience is not simply the opposite of having psychiatric symptoms, but rather an independent construct.
神经生物学研究传统上侧重于易损性，而不是对严重压力的适应能力。到目前为止，只有少数研究适应能力的神经影像学研究采用了能够区分适应能力的神经相关性与精神病理学或创伤暴露相关的神经相关性的设计。本研究的目的是确定适应能力的结构脑相关性，以及它们与行为测量的相关性。
对三组警察进行 MRI 扫描：（1）适应组（N=29；经历过创伤，无精神病理学），（2）易损组（N=33；经历过创伤，有精神病理学），和（3）对照组（N=19；无创伤，无精神病理学）。使用来自 FSL 库的软件工具，我们检查了全脑和感兴趣区域的灰质体积和形状，以及白质完整性。
我们没有发现适应组特有的灰质体积或形状模式。在适应良好的警察中，我们发现皮质脑桥束的结构连接增加。该位置的白质完整性与积极重新评估的应对方式相关。
适应良好的警察表现出特定的结构连接增加模式，这与使用更高阶的情绪调节策略有关。鉴于此发现以前未涉及与压力相关的疾病的区域，以及与压力相关的疾病反复涉及的区域的无效发现，目前的研究表明，适应能力不仅仅是具有精神症状的相反，而是一个独立的结构。
