Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40416741›Full record

ArticleNPP - digital psychiatry and neuroscience2025

Traumatic stress alters neural reactivity to visual stimulation.

Nathaniel G Harnett, Grace E Rowland, E Kate Webb, Tianyi Li, Soumyaa Joshi, Kerry J Ressler, Isabelle M Rosso

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in NPP - digital psychiatry and neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

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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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Nathaniel G HarnettDivision of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5346-2012
Grace E RowlandDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA.
E Kate WebbDivision of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA USA.
Tianyi LiDivision of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA USA.
Soumyaa JoshiDivision of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA USA.
Kerry J ResslerDivision of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA USA.
Isabelle M RossoDivision of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6988-3858

Funding

SPARED CenterP50MH115874 · NIMH · MCLEAN HOSPITAL · PI CARLEZON, WILLIAM A. · 2019 to 2023
$13.7M
Multimodal characterization of affective visual processing in the early aftermath of traumaK01MH129828 · NIMH · MCLEAN HOSPITAL · PI Nathaniel G Harnett · 2023 to 2026
$719k
The Biological Cost of External and Internal Resilience Factors in Trauma SurvivorsF32MH134443 · NIMH · MCLEAN HOSPITAL · PI WEBB, ELISABETH KATHLEEN · 2023 to 2023
$69k
NIMH NIH HHS F32 MH134443NIMH NIH HHS K01 MH129828NIMH NIH HHS P50 MH115874
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Traumatic stress is a precursor to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Emergent research suggests visual processing regions may be relevant to PTSD development; however, no previous research to date has investigated the potential effects of trauma exposure on neural reactivity to non-affective visual stimulation. In the present study, 24 recently trauma-exposed (RTE) and 16 without recent exposure to trauma (NRTE) individuals completed functional magnetic resonance imaging during alternating blocks of flickering checkerboard presentations and attention/rest with an attentional check. RTE participants were recruited within ~2-4 weeks of trauma, and PTSD symptoms were assessed both at the time of the magnetic resonance imaging scan and 6 months following trauma exposure. RTE participants showed greater deactivation within the visual cortex compared to NRTE participants. Further, NRTE participants showed greater neural reactivity within the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex during stimulation compared to attention/rest, while no difference was observed in RTE participants. Connectivity analyses also revealed that visual cortex to paracentral gyrus connectivity was greater during stimulation compared to attention/rest, but only for the NRTE participants. Finally, neural reactivity to visual stimulation was negatively associated with PTSD symptoms within the RTE group. Our findings suggest that trauma exposure is associated with acute alterations in the neural function that underlies basic visual processing. Furthermore, trauma-induced variability in visual circuit function may be related to the development and expression of PTSD symptoms.

Indexed as

Cognitive neuroscienceRisk factors

Identifiers

PMID40416741
PMCPMC12095038

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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 OpenQuestion graph.