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Neural communication in posttraumatic growth

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Abstract

Posttraumatic growth (PTG), or positive psychological changes following exposure to traumatic events, is commonly reported among trauma survivors. In the present study, we examined neural correlates of PTG in 106 veterans with PTSD and 193 veteran controls using task-free magnetoencephalography (MEG), diagnostic interviews and measures of PTG, and traumatic event exposure. Global synchronous neural interactions (SNIs) were significantly modulated downward with increasing PTG scores in controls (p = .005), but not in veterans with PTSD (p = .601). This effect was primarily characterized by negative slopes in local neural networks, was strongest in the medial prefrontal cortex, and was much stronger and more extensive in the control than the PTSD group. The present study complements previous research highlighting the role of neural adaptation in healthy functioning.

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Acknowledgments

This work was presented at the 29th annual ISTSS conference, Philadelphia, PA, November 7–9, 2013. This work was partially supported by a service-directed grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. We thank Nancy Tabaka, Kari Johnson, Emily Van Kampen, Ann Marie Winskowski, Ryan Miller, Alina Shub, and Alex Alcorn for their help in participant recruitment, consent, and data entry.

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Author notes

  1. Samantha L. Anders

    Present address: Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA

  2. Carly K. Peterson

    Present address: Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brain Sciences Center (11B), Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN, 55417, USA

    Samantha L. Anders, Carly K. Peterson, Lisa M. James, Brian Engdahl, Arthur C. Leuthold & Apostolos P. Georgopoulos

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Lisa M. James & Apostolos P. Georgopoulos

  3. Center for Cognitive Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Lisa M. James, Brian Engdahl & Apostolos P. Georgopoulos

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Brian Engdahl

  5. Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Arthur C. Leuthold & Apostolos P. Georgopoulos

  6. Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Apostolos P. Georgopoulos

Authors
  1. Samantha L. Anders
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  2. Carly K. Peterson
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  3. Lisa M. James
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  4. Brian Engdahl
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  5. Arthur C. Leuthold
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  6. Apostolos P. Georgopoulos
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Correspondence to Apostolos P. Georgopoulos.

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Anders, S.L., Peterson, C.K., James, L.M. et al. Neural communication in posttraumatic growth. Exp Brain Res 233, 2013–2020 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-015-4272-2

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