PTSD Among Victims of Sexual Abuse and Changes in Structural and Functional Brain Connectivity
Condition: PostTraumatic Stress Disorder
MeSH terms: Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The goal of this study is to identify the early modifications in fronto-temporal connectivity
      in female victims who developed PTSD, compared to female victims who did not develop the
      disorder, and to healthy control females. The investigators will compare between all these
      groups, structural and functional differences using different techniques (MRI, fMRI, DTI and
      ASL), and paradigms (cognitive tasks or at rest).
    

Detailed description: 
      Most of the transversal neuroimaging studies in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were
      conducted in male war veterans. Few studies focused on neuroanatomical correlates of PTSD in
      civilian populations, and only one prospective study explored the cerebral connectivity when
      developing the disorder. In France, physical and sexual assaults are the most prevalent
      causes of PTSD, especially in the female population. Neuroanatomic basis of chronic PTSD are
      now well-defined, implicating limbic over-activation (amygdala), associated with a default
      activation in prefrontal cortex. However, mechanisms implied in the modification of
      fronto-limbic regions connectivity, especially in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), need
      further investigations. Will the post-traumatic amygdalar over-activation perturbate the
      normal functioning of the ACC, or is there a modification in the ACC functioning which leads
      to a default in amygdala inhibition ? This question is of interest, since the prefrontal
      cortex, including the ACC, has an essential role in different kind of cognitive activities in
      the normal and pathological brain, such as working memory and attentional processes.

      The goal of this study is to characterize early modifications in structural and functional
      connectivity in brain structures implied in the development of PTSD using different kinds of
      MRI-based techniques (structural MRI, fMRI, DTI and ASL), as well as biological (cortisol)
      and psychophysiological (skin conductance ...) measures in female patients developing PTSD,
      compared to women exposed to trauma who did not develop the disorder and to healthy controls.
    

Intervention name(s): MRI-based techniques (sMRI, fMRI, DTI, ASL)
Intervention type(s): Procedure
Intervention description(s): no drugs include
Other intervention name(s): structural magnetic resonance imaging; functional magnetic resonance imaging; diffusion tensor imaging; arterial spin labelling
Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        PTSD related to sexual abuse vs trauma-exposed vs controls, in right-handed females.
      
Biospecimen description: 
      Salivary cortisol
    
Keywords: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Working Memory; Attentional Bias; Connectivity; Structural Neuroimaging; Functional Neuroimaging; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Arterial Spin Labelling; Cortisol; Psychophysiology; Early development of