Wang Shiying, Malins Jeffrey G, Zhang Heping, Gruen Jeffrey R
Department of Biostatistics, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
JCPP Adv. 2021 Dec;1(4). doi: 10.1002/jcv2.12049. Epub 2021 Dec 6.
Traumatic experiences during childhood or adolescence are a significant risk factor for multiple psychiatric disorders and adversely affect multiple cognitive functions. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging has been used to investigate the effects of traumatic experiences on functional connectivity, but the impact of sex differences has not been well documented. This study investigated sex-specific associations between resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and traumatic experiences in typically developing youth.
The sample comprised 1395 participants, aged 8-21 years, from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort. Traumatic experiences were assessed based on the structured psychiatric evaluation. Sex, the number of traumatic events, and their interaction were regressed onto voxel-wise intrinsic connectivity distribution parameter values derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Brain regions that passed cluster correction were used as seeds to define resting-state networks.
After quality control, the final sample had 914 participants with mean () age 14.6 (3.3) years; 529 (57.8%) females; 437 (47.8%) experienced at least one kind of traumatic event. Four discrete anatomical clusters showed decreased functional connectivity as the number of traumatic events increased. The resting-state networks defined by using these four clusters as seeds corresponded with the somatomotor network. Sex-specific associations were identified in another three clusters for which males showed increased connectivity, and females showed decreased connectivity as the number of traumatic events increased. The resting-state networks defined by the three sex-specific clusters corresponded with the default mode network (DMN).
In youth without psychiatric diagnoses, traumatic experiences are associated with an alteration of rsFC in brain regions corresponding with the somatomotor network. Associations differ in direction between males and females in brain regions corresponding with the DMN, suggesting sex-specific responses to early exposure to trauma.
童年或青少年时期的创伤经历是多种精神疾病的重要风险因素，并对多种认知功能产生不利影响。静息态功能磁共振成像已被用于研究创伤经历对功能连接的影响，但性别差异的影响尚未得到充分记录。本研究调查了典型发育青年静息态功能连接（rsFC）与创伤经历之间的性别特异性关联。
样本包括来自费城神经发育队列的1395名8至21岁的参与者。根据结构化精神评估对创伤经历进行评估。将性别、创伤事件数量及其相互作用回归到从静息态功能磁共振成像得出的体素内固有连接分布参数值上。通过聚类校正的脑区用作种子来定义静息态网络。
经过质量控制后，最终样本有914名参与者，平均（）年龄为14.6（3.3）岁；529名（57.8%）为女性；437名（47.8%）经历过至少一种创伤事件。随着创伤事件数量的增加，四个离散的解剖学聚类显示功能连接性降低。以这四个聚类为种子定义的静息态网络与躯体运动网络相对应。在另外三个聚类中发现了性别特异性关联，随着创伤事件数量的增加，男性的连接性增加，而女性的连接性降低。由这三个性别特异性聚类定义的静息态网络与默认模式网络（DMN）相对应。
在没有精神疾病诊断的青年中，创伤经历与躯体运动网络相应脑区的rsFC改变有关。在与DMN相应的脑区中，男性和女性的关联方向不同，表明对早期接触创伤存在性别特异性反应。
