Disrupted intrathalamic and thalamocortical structural covariance networks in posttraumatic stress disorder

The thalamus is a heterogeneous structure crucial for corticocortical communication, affective-perceptual integration, motor preparation, and memory-related functions. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by various symptoms that likely relate to thalamic functions. Group-level and individual differential structural covariance (SC) analyses were conducted on intrathalamic, thalamocortical, and thalamosubcortical volumetric networks by segmenting structural MRI data from 2,784 subjects (PTSD <i>n</i> = 1,306; controls <i>n</i> = 1,478) into 25 thalamic nuclei per hemisphere. We found that PTSD was associated with stronger intrathalamic and thalamocortical network strength and stronger SC between the limbic thalamus and the somatomotor and auditory thalamus. PTSD severity was related to specific regional alterations in the intrathalamic network involving the lateral pulvinar. Comorbid depression severity positively correlated with global intrathalamic alterations, while avoidance symptoms positively correlated with global thalamosubcortical alterations. Hyperarousal symptoms related to altered SC in the thalamocortical network between the reuniens, central medial, paratenial, centromedian, and limitans-suprageniculate nuclei and lateral cortical regions spanning the occipital, temporal, and orbitofrontal cortices. Differential associations between avoidance, hyperarousal, and comorbid depression symptoms and thalamic SC in PTSD suggest that specific thalamic covariance patterns may be involved in unique facets of PTSD symptomatology.

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Publication Details

Journal
Network Neuroscience
Published
2025-12-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1162/netn.a.535
Primary Topic
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Disrupted intrathalamic and thalamocortical structural covariance networks in posttraumatic stress disorder

Network Neuroscience
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
article

Disrupted intrathalamic and thalamocortical structural covariance networks in posttraumatic stress disorder

article en

Abstract

The thalamus is a heterogeneous structure crucial for corticocortical communication, affective-perceptual integration, motor preparation, and memory-related functions. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by various symptoms that likely relate to thalamic functions. Group-level and individual differential structural covariance (SC) analyses were conducted on intrathalamic, thalamocortical, and thalamosubcortical volumetric networks by segmenting structural MRI data from 2,784 subjects (PTSD <i>n</i> = 1,306; controls <i>n</i> = 1,478) into 25 thalamic nuclei per hemisphere. We found that PTSD was associated with stronger intrathalamic and thalamocortical network strength and stronger SC between the limbic thalamus and the somatomotor and auditory thalamus. PTSD severity was related to specific regional alterations in the intrathalamic network involving the lateral pulvinar. Comorbid depression severity positively correlated with global intrathalamic alterations, while avoidance symptoms positively correlated with global thalamosubcortical alterations. Hyperarousal symptoms related to altered SC in the thalamocortical network between the reuniens, central medial, paratenial, centromedian, and limitans-suprageniculate nuclei and lateral cortical regions spanning the occipital, temporal, and orbitofrontal cortices. Differential associations between avoidance, hyperarousal, and comorbid depression symptoms and thalamic SC in PTSD suggest that specific thalamic covariance patterns may be involved in unique facets of PTSD symptomatology.

Network NeuroscienceVol. 10(1)
Marquette University (US), South African Medical Research Council (ZA), Université de Tours (FR), Northwestern University (US), Texas A&M Health Science Center (US), Western University (CA), University of Minnesota (US), Nebraska Medical Center (US), Pennsylvania State University (US), Central European Institute of Technology (CZ), University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), Harvard University (US), University of Arizona (US), Radboud University Nijmegen (NL), Emory University (US), Inserm (FR), Baylor University (US), University of Cape Town (ZA), The University of Texas at Dallas (US), Tel Aviv University (IL), Duke University (US), Baylor College of Medicine (US), Virginia Commonwealth University (US), Wayne State University (US), Utrecht University (NL), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Vanderbilt University (US), Medical College of Wisconsin (US), Washington University in St. Louis (US), VA Palo Alto Health Care System (US), University of Missouri–St. Louis (US), Masaryk University (CZ), University of Utah (US), University of Münster (DE), University of Michigan (US), Ben Taub Hospital (US), Columbia University Irving Medical Center (US), Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command (CN), McLean Hospital (US), University of Rochester Medical Center (US), UNSW Sydney (AU), Yale University (US), New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (US), Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group (NL), Amsterdam Neuroscience (NL), Minneapolis VA Health Care System (US), Virginia Department of Veterans Services (US), Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), St. Anne's University Hospital Brno (CZ), De Viersprong (NL), Amsterdam University Medical Centers (NL), Center for Occupational Research and Development (US), George E. Wahlen Department of VA Medical Center (US), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Imaging Center (US), University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (US), New York State Psychiatric Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center (US), Nanjing Medical University (CN), Neuroscience Research Australia (AU), The University of Texas at Austin (US), Nanjing University (CN), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (US), University of Toledo (US), Texas A&M University (US), University of Haifa (IL), Bryan College (US), Stanford University (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, McLean Hospital, Waisman Center, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, South African Medical Research Council, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, National Natural Science Foundation of China, ZonMw, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Government of Jiangsu Province, Ministerstvo Zdravotnictví Ceské Republiky, Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, Fondation Pierre Deniker pour la Recherche et la Prévention en Santé Mentale, National Institutes of Health, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison, National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Social Science Fund of China, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
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