PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The flocculus is a region of the vestibulocerebellum dedicated to the coordination of neck, head, and eye movements for optimal posture, balance, and orienting responses. Despite growing evidence of vestibular and oculomotor impairments in the aftermath of traumatic stress, little is known about the effects of chronic psychological trauma on vestibulocerebellar functioning. Here, we investigated alterations in functional connectivity of the flocculus at rest among individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its dissociative subtype (PTSD + DS) as compared to healthy controls. Forty-four healthy controls, 57 PTSD, and 32 PTSD + DS underwent 6-min resting-state MRI scans. Seed-based functional connectivity analyses using the right and left flocculi as seeds were performed. These analyses revealed that, as compared to controls, PTSD and PTSD + DS showed decreased resting-state functional connectivity of the left flocculus with cortical regions involved in bodily self-consciousness, including the temporo-parietal junction, the supramarginal and angular gyri, and the superior parietal lobule. Moreover, as compared to controls, the PTSD + DS group showed decreased functional connectivity of the left flocculus with the medial prefrontal cortex, the precuneus, and the mid/posterior cingulum, key regions of the default mode network. Critically, when comparing PTSD + DS to PTSD, we observed increased functional connectivity of the right flocculus with the right anterior hippocampus, a region affected frequently by early life trauma. Taken together, our findings point toward the crucial role of the flocculus in the neurocircuitry underlying a coherent and embodied self, which can be compromised in PTSD and PTSD + DS.
摘要：
絮状物是前庭小脑的一个区域，致力于颈部的协调，头部,和眼球运动以获得最佳姿势，balance,和定向回应。尽管越来越多的证据表明创伤后的前庭和动眼损伤，关于慢性心理创伤对前庭小脑功能的影响知之甚少。这里,我们调查了与健康对照组相比,创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)及其分离亚型(PTSD+DS)患者休息时絮状体功能连接的改变.44个健康对照,57创伤后应激障碍，32名PTSD+DS患者接受了6分钟静息态MRI扫描。使用右侧和左侧絮凝剂作为种子进行基于种子的功能连接分析。这些分析表明,与对照组相比，PTSD和PTSDDS显示左絮状物的静息状态功能连接减少，与身体自我意识有关的皮质区域，包括颞顶交界处，上颌和角状回旋，和上顶叶小叶。此外，与对照组相比，PTSD+DS组显示左絮状肌与内侧前额叶皮质的功能连接降低，precuneus,和中/后扣带，默认模式网络的关键区域。严重的,当比较PTSD+DS与PTSD时，我们观察到右侧絮状组织与右侧前海马的功能连接增加，经常受早期生活创伤影响的地区。一起来看,我们的发现指出了絮状物在神经回路中的关键作用，这些神经回路是连贯和体现自我的基础，在PTSD和PTSD+DS中可能会受到损害。
