Poster No:
510
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Remko van Lutterveld1, Myrthe Sterk1, Cristian Spitoni2, Elbert Geuze1
Institutions:
1Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, Netherlands, 2Mathematical Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Myrthe Sterk
Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence
Utrecht, Netherlands
Cristian Spitoni
Mathematical Institute, Utrecht University
Utrecht, Netherlands
Elbert Geuze
Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence
Utrecht, Netherlands
Introduction:
Trauma-focused psychotherapy is an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, about half of patients are treatment resistant, which highlights the need for biomarkers of prospective treatment response. Recently, there is increased interest in characterizing the order and disorder of brain activity. Operating close to the border between order and disorder is theorized to present optimal information processing, and this can be analyzed using the concept of brain criticality. In the current study, we studied if brain criticality is related to prospective psychotherapy treatment response, hypothesizing that prospective treatment responders' brains operate closer to criticality.
Methods:
Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired from 46 male veterans with PTSD around the start of treatment (median age 36 years). Therapy consisted of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (tf-CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), or a combination thereof. Treatment response was assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, and criticality was assessed using Ising temperature, which was obtained by fitting the entire dataset to an Ising model, after which we personalized the obtained model by adusting the Ising temperature for each individual. Ising temperature was assessed for seven canonical brain networks (i.e., the visual, somatomotor, dorsal attention, ventral attention, limbic, frontoparietal and default mode networks). Differences between treatment responders and non-responders were statistically analyzed using a mixed ANOVA with age as covariate.
Results:
Groups did not differ significantly in PTSD symptomatology, age, education level, handedness, type and amount of received treatment, and medication use. Criticality analysis showed that the brains of both groups operated in a supercritical state, and that prospective responders were closer to criticality than non-responders (P = 0.014), while no significant interaction effect between group and region was observed (P = 0.608).
Conclusions:
The brains of prospective PTSD psychotherapy treatment responders operate closer to criticality than non-responders, and this effect seems to occur across the entire brain instead of in separate canonical brain networks. These results show that effective psychotherapy might be mediated by brains operating closer to criticality, resulting in increased information processing, which in turn facilitates effectiveness of psychotherapy.
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia) 1
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Executive Function, Cognitive Control and Decision Making 2
Keywords:
ADULTS
Behavioral Therapy
FUNCTIONAL MRI
Psychiatric Disorders
Therapy
Trauma
Other - PTSD
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Provide references using author date format
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