BACKGROUND: In soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptom provocation was found ... more BACKGROUND: In soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptom provocation was found to induce increased connectivity within the salience network, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and global brain connectivity with global signal regression (GBCr). However, it is unknown whether these GBCr disturbances would normalize following effective PTSD treatment. METHODS: 69 US Army soldiers with (n = 42) and without PTSD (n = 27) completed fMRI at rest and during symptom provocation using subject-specific script imagery. Then, participants with PTSD received 6 weeks (12 sessions) of group cognitive processing therapy (CPT) or present-centered therapy (PCT). At week 8, all participants repeated the fMRI scans. The primary analysis used a region-of-interest approach to determine the effect of treatment on salience GBCr. A secondary analysis was conducted to explore the pattern of GBCr alterations post-treatment in PTSD participants compared to controls. RE...
Social entrenchment is inescapable. From the moment we are born, we co-exist. The social milieu p... more Social entrenchment is inescapable. From the moment we are born, we co-exist. The social milieu provides us with scaffolding which helps us to navigate our world. It can offer us a rudimentary confidence in the knowledge we acquire. We find meaning by making inferences about what we perceive beyond mere observation, and attain a sense of validation and reliability in our perceptions when we are aware that others have come to the same conclusion. Moreover, as inherently social beings, we require personal relationships in order to satisfy the psychological need for intimacy, comfort and general emotional well-being. The significance of this need is underscored by the emotional and mental penury brought about by the infliction of one of the worst forms of torture: solitary confinement. Through these epistemic and relational motives, we are utterly compelled to form bonds with others. However, conflict often prevails in contradistinction to these relationships.
INTRODUCTION Advances in neuroimaging and connectomics have led to a shift in the clinical neuros... more INTRODUCTION Advances in neuroimaging and connectomics have led to a shift in the clinical neuroscience field from an early focus on brain regions and localization to identifying neural circuits, and more recently, to establishing network functioning in health and disease (1). The investigation of neural correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) largely followed a comparable path. Early neuroimaging PTSD studies identified a number of regions of interest, which were then integrated into circuitry related hypotheses and more recently into network-based models (2-5). These network models suggested an association between PTSD and increased salience network but reduced default mode and central executive network connectivity (2,3,5). However, these models were primarily based on findings from seed analyses of resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) data in cross-sectional studies. Unfortunately, the seed-based approach does not fully interrogate the brain's large-scale intrinsic con-ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: In soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptom provocation was found to induce increased connectivity within the salience network, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and global brain connectivity with global signal regression (GBCr). However, it is unknown whether these GBCr disturbances would normalize following effective PTSD treatment.
BACKGROUND: In soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptom provocation was found ... more BACKGROUND: In soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptom provocation was found to induce increased connectivity within the salience network, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and global brain connectivity with global signal regression (GBCr). However, it is unknown whether these GBCr disturbances would normalize following effective PTSD treatment. METHODS: 69 US Army soldiers with (n = 42) and without PTSD (n = 27) completed fMRI at rest and during symptom provocation using subject-specific script imagery. Then, participants with PTSD received 6 weeks (12 sessions) of group cognitive processing therapy (CPT) or present-centered therapy (PCT). At week 8, all participants repeated the fMRI scans. The primary analysis used a region-of-interest approach to determine the effect of treatment on salience GBCr. A secondary analysis was conducted to explore the pattern of GBCr alterations post-treatment in PTSD participants compared to controls. RE...
Social entrenchment is inescapable. From the moment we are born, we co-exist. The social milieu p... more Social entrenchment is inescapable. From the moment we are born, we co-exist. The social milieu provides us with scaffolding which helps us to navigate our world. It can offer us a rudimentary confidence in the knowledge we acquire. We find meaning by making inferences about what we perceive beyond mere observation, and attain a sense of validation and reliability in our perceptions when we are aware that others have come to the same conclusion. Moreover, as inherently social beings, we require personal relationships in order to satisfy the psychological need for intimacy, comfort and general emotional well-being. The significance of this need is underscored by the emotional and mental penury brought about by the infliction of one of the worst forms of torture: solitary confinement. Through these epistemic and relational motives, we are utterly compelled to form bonds with others. However, conflict often prevails in contradistinction to these relationships.
INTRODUCTION Advances in neuroimaging and connectomics have led to a shift in the clinical neuros... more INTRODUCTION Advances in neuroimaging and connectomics have led to a shift in the clinical neuroscience field from an early focus on brain regions and localization to identifying neural circuits, and more recently, to establishing network functioning in health and disease (1). The investigation of neural correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) largely followed a comparable path. Early neuroimaging PTSD studies identified a number of regions of interest, which were then integrated into circuitry related hypotheses and more recently into network-based models (2-5). These network models suggested an association between PTSD and increased salience network but reduced default mode and central executive network connectivity (2,3,5). However, these models were primarily based on findings from seed analyses of resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) data in cross-sectional studies. Unfortunately, the seed-based approach does not fully interrogate the brain's large-scale intrinsic con-ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: In soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptom provocation was found to induce increased connectivity within the salience network, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and global brain connectivity with global signal regression (GBCr). However, it is unknown whether these GBCr disturbances would normalize following effective PTSD treatment.
Uploads
Papers by Evie Alkin
Drafts by Evie Alkin