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Disrupted intrathalamic and thalamocortical structural covariance networks in posttraumatic stress disorder.
Peer-reviewte HumanstudieBeobachtungsstudiePubMedFachartikel25. März 2026PMID: 41878614DOI
Abstract
The thalamus is a heterogeneous structure crucial for corticocortical communication, affective-perceptual integration, motor preparation, and memory-related functions. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by various symptoms that likely relate to thalamic functions. Group-level and individual differential structural covariance (SC) analyses were conducted on intrathalamic, thalamocortical, and thalamosubcortical volumetric networks by segmenting structural MRI data from 2,784 subjects (PTSD n = 1,306; controls n = 1,478) into 25 thalamic nuclei per hemisphere. We found that PTSD was associated with stronger intrathalamic and thalamocortical network strength and stronger SC between the limbic thalamus and the somatomotor and auditory thalamus. PTSD severity was related to specific regional alterations in the intrathalamic network involving the lateral pulvinar. Comorbid depression severity positively correlated with global intrathalamic alterations, while avoidance symptoms positively correlated with global thalamosubcortical alterations. Hyperarousal symptoms related to altered SC in the thalamocortical network between the reuniens, central medial, paratenial, centromedian, and limitans-suprageniculate nuclei and lateral cortical regions spanning the occipital, temporal, and orbitofrontal cortices. Differential associations between avoidance, hyperarousal, and comorbid depression symptoms and thalamic SC in PTSD suggest that specific thalamic covariance patterns may be involved in unique facets of PTSD symptomatology. The thalamus has been increasingly implicated in psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, most studies on PTSD have analyzed the thalamus as a whole, overlooking the distinct functional roles of its nuclei in cognitive, affective, and sensorimotor processes. This study examined structural covariance (SC) patterns of individual thalamic nuclei and found that PTSD diagnosis was related to differences in thalamic SC. While traditional studies of SC occur at the group level, we additionally conducted a subject-level SC analysis, which showed that distinct aspects of thalamic SC were linked to different PTSD symptoms. Comorbid depression was related to intrathalamic alterations, avoidance symptoms to thalamosubcortical alterations, and hyperarousal symptoms to thalamocortical alterations. This work should inform future research examining thalamic nuclei in relation to PTSD and other psychopathologies.
Autoren (84)
LeadBrain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA.
Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
SA MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
SA MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
SA MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Department of Neurology, TBI and Concussion Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Department of Neurology, TBI and Concussion Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Department of Neurology, TBI and Concussion Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Multimodal and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Multimodal and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
UMR1253, iBraiN, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France.
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
University of Missouri-St. Louis, Department of Psychological Sciences, Center for Trauma Recovery, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
Northwestern Neighborhood and Network Initiative, Northwestern University Institute for Policy Research, Evanston, IL, USA.
School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, WI, USA.
Comprehensive Injury Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, WI, USA.
Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, TN, USA.
University of Nebraska Medical Center, Munroe-Meyer Institute, Omaha, NE, USA.
Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA.
Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.