@article{ref1,
title="Insular activation and functional connectivity in firefighters with post-traumatic stress disorder",
journal="BJPsych open",
year="2022",
author="Lee, Deokjong and Lee, Jung Eun and Lee, Junghan and Kim, Changsoo and Jung, Young-Chul",
volume="8",
number="2",
pages="e69-e69",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Firefighters are frequently exposed to stressful situations and are at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hyperresponsiveness to threatening and emotional stimuli and diminishment of executive control have been suggested as manifestations of PTSD. AIMS: To examine brain activation in firefighters with PTSD by conducting an executive control-related behavioural task with trauma-related interferences. <br><br>METHOD: Twelve firefighters with PTSD and 14 healthy firefighters underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a Stroop match-to-sample task using trauma-related photographic stimuli. Seed-based functional connectivity analysis was conducted using regions identified in fMRI contrast analysis. <br><br>RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the participants with PTSD had longer reaction times when the trauma-related interferences were presented. They showed significantly stronger brain activation to interfering trauma-related stimuli in the left insula, and had weaker insular functional connectivity in the supplementary motor area and the anterior cingulate cortex than the controls. They also showed a significant correlation between left insula-supplementary motor area connectivity strength and the hyperarousal subscale of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that trauma-related stimuli elicit excessive brain activation in the left insula among firefighters with PTSD. Firefighters with PTSD also appear to have weak left insular functional connectivity with executive control-related brain regions. This aberrant insular activation and functional connectivity could be related to the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms in firefighters.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2056-4724",
doi="10.1192/bjo.2022.32",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.32"
}