Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39447688›Full record

ArticleProgress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry2025

Exploring the impact of biological sex on intrinsic connectivity networks in PTSD: A data-driven approach.

Andrew A Nicholson, Jonathan M Lieberman, Niki Hosseini-Kamkar, Kristen Eckstrand, Daniela Rabellino, Breanne Kearney, David Steyrl, Sandhya Narikuzhy, Maria Densmore, Jean Théberge and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Andrew A NicholsonThe Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ontario, Canada; School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: andrew.nicholson@theroyal.ca.
Jonathan M LiebermanAtlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
Niki Hosseini-KamkarThe Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ontario, Canada; Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Kristen EckstrandDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Daniela RabellinoImaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Breanne KearneyDepartment of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
David SteyrlDepartment of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Sandhya NarikuzhyAtlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Maria DensmoreImaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Jean ThébergeDepartment of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Joseph's Healthcare, London, Ontario, Canada.
Fardous HosseinyAtlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Ruth A LaniusAtlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

Neural circuitry underlying emotional abuse and depression in sexual minority youthK23MH128728 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI KRISTEN ECKSTRAND · 2022 to 2026
$940k
NIMH NIH HHS K23 MH128728
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSex as a biological variable (SABV) may help to account for the differential development and expression of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among trauma-exposed males and females. Here, we investigate the impact of SABV on PTSD-related neural alterations in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) within three core intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs): the salience network (SN), central executive network (CEN), and default mode network (DMN).

methodsUsing an independent component analysis (ICA), we compared rsFC of the SN, CEN, and DMN between males and females, with and without PTSD (n = 47 females with PTSD, n = 34 males with PTSD, n = 36 healthy control females, n = 20 healthy control males) via full factorial ANCOVAs. Additionally, linear regression analyses were conducted with clinical variables (i.e., PTSD and depression symptoms, childhood trauma scores) in order to determine intrinsic network connectivity characteristics specific to SABV. Furthermore, we utilized machine learning classification models to predict the biological sex and PTSD diagnosis of individual participants based on intrinsic network activity patterns.

resultsOur findings revealed differential network connectivity patterns based on SABV and PTSD diagnosis. Males with PTSD exhibited increased intra-SN (i.e., SN-anterior insula) rsFC and increased DMN-right superior parietal lobule/precuneus/superior occipital gyrus rsFC as compared to females with PTSD. There were also differential network connectivity patterns for comparisons between the PTSD and healthy control groups for males and females, separately. We did not observe significant correlations between clinical measures of interest and brain region clusters which displayed significant between group differences as a function of biological sex, thus further reinforcing that SABV analyses are likely not confounded by these variables. Furthermore, machine learning classification models accurately predicted biological sex and PTSD diagnosis among novel/unseen participants based on ICN activation patterns.

conclusionThis study reveals groundbreaking insights surrounding the impact of SABV on PTSD-related ICN alterations using data-driven methods. Our discoveries contribute to further defining neurobiological markers of PTSD among females and males and may offer guidance for differential sex-related treatment needs.

Indexed as

BrainNerve NetSex CharacteristicsStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticAdultBrain MappingFemaleHumansMachine LearningMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeural PathwaysYoung AdultBiological sexDefault mode networkMachine learningPTSDSalience network, central executive network

Identifiers

PMID39447688
PMCPMC11781259

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.