• Mihai Popescu, John D Hughes, Elena-Anda Popescu, Gerard Riedy, and Thomas J DeGraba.
• National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA.
• Clin Neurophysiol. 2016 Sep 1; 127 (9): 3075-3085.

ObjectiveTo determine if changes in cortical alpha-band power in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are associated with the severity of their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and if injury severity and level of exposure to psychologically traumatic events are predictors of these electrophysiological changes.MethodsResting-state magnetoencephalographic recordings were analyzed in 32 patients with mTBI. Alpha-band power was estimated for each patient in 68 cortical regions and was compared between groups of patients with low versus high PTSD symptoms severity.ResultsParticipants with high PTSD symptom severity showed reduced alpha-band power bilaterally in the superior and middle frontal gyri and frontal poles, and in the left inferior frontal gyrus. Alpha-band power in bilateral middle frontal gyri and frontal poles was negatively correlated with scores reflecting symptoms of emotional numbing. Loss of consciousness (LOC) associated with mTBI and level of exposure to psychologically traumatic events were predictors of decreased prefrontal alpha-band power in some of these regions.ConclusionAltered prefrontal alpha-band activity, shown to be partly explained by mTBI-related LOC, is associated with PTSD symptoms severity.SignificanceOur findings will guide future studies addressing the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying a higher incidence of PTSD in patients with mTBI.Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

28 keywords...

hide…