Tian Tian, Chen Min, Fang Jicheng, Zhu Wenzhen
Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
Department of Pediatric Health Care, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2025 Dec;16(1):2551953. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2551953. Epub 2025 Sep 12.
Network control theory can quantify controllability to evaluate how altered transitions between brain states contribute to cognitive, emotional, and behavioural challenges. Childhood abuse, influenced by genetics, is associated with disrupted network function, though the exact control processes are not yet understood. This study aims to investigate the association between brain network controllability and childhood abuse experiences, and to elucidate its potential mediating role in the relationship among polygenic risk scores (PRS) for childhood abuse, childhood abuse experiences, and adult health outcomes. This study measured the controllability of functional brain networks, including both average and modal controllability, in a cohort of 214 young adults with varied histories of childhood abuse. Participants also completed psychological assessments, whole-exome sequencing, and the calculation of PRS for childhood abuse. This study investigate the association between brain network controllability and childhood abuse. Furthermore, a mediation model was performed to explore the potential mediating role of brain network controllability in the relationship between genetic risk, childhood abuse experiences, and adult health outcomes. The controllability of the dorsal attention and sensorimotor networks, as well as the controllability of key ROIs within the sensorimotor, default mode, dorsal attention, visual, and control networks, demonstrated significant correlations with abuse scores. Despite no direct correlation between PRS and self-reported childhood abuse, indirect effects through the controllability of visual and control network regions were identified. The controllability of the left postcentral gyrus in the dorsal attention network mediated the relationship between childhood abuse and adult anxiety. This study reveals that brain network controllability is a pivotal factor, not only bridging PRS and childhood abuse but also serving as a potential mediator between childhood trauma and adult anxiety, offering a new perspective on the neurobiology of childhood abuse-related psychopathology.
网络控制理论可以量化可控性，以评估大脑状态之间的转变改变如何导致认知、情感和行为方面的挑战。受基因影响的童年虐待与网络功能紊乱有关，尽管确切的控制过程尚不清楚。本研究旨在调查脑网络可控性与童年虐待经历之间的关联，并阐明其在童年虐待的多基因风险评分（PRS）、童年虐待经历和成人健康结果之间关系中的潜在中介作用。本研究测量了214名有不同童年虐待经历的年轻成年人队列中功能性脑网络的可控性，包括平均可控性和模态可控性。参与者还完成了心理评估、全外显子测序以及童年虐待的PRS计算。本研究调查了脑网络可控性与童年虐待之间的关联。此外，还进行了中介模型分析，以探讨脑网络可控性在遗传风险、童年虐待经历和成人健康结果之间关系中的潜在中介作用。背侧注意网络和感觉运动网络的可控性，以及感觉运动、默认模式、背侧注意、视觉和控制网络内关键感兴趣区域（ROI）的可控性，与虐待得分显示出显著相关性。尽管PRS与自我报告的童年虐待之间没有直接相关性，但通过视觉和控制网络区域的可控性发现了间接影响。背侧注意网络中左侧中央后回的可控性介导了童年虐待与成人焦虑之间的关系。本研究表明，脑网络可控性是一个关键因素，不仅连接了PRS和童年虐待，还作为童年创伤与成人焦虑之间的潜在中介，为童年虐待相关精神病理学的神经生物学提供了新的视角。
