Relationship of trauma symptoms to amygdala-based functional brain changes in adolescents.
Abstract
In this pilot study, amygdala connectivity related to trauma symptoms was explored
using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) in 23 healthy adolescents
ages 13-17 years with no psychiatric diagnoses. Adolescents completed a self-report
trauma symptom checklist and a R-fMRI scan. We examined the relationship of trauma
symptoms to resting-state functional connectivity of the amygdala. Increasing self-report
of trauma symptoms by adolescents was associated with increasing functional connectivity
with the right amygdala and a local limbic cluster and decreasing functional connectivity
with the amygdala and a long-range frontoparietal cluster to the left amygdala, which
can be a hallmark of immaturity. These pilot findings in adolescents provide preliminary
evidence that even mild trauma symptoms can be linked to the configuration of brain
networks associated with the amygdala.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Adaptation, PsychologicalAdolescent
Amygdala
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Mental Health
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Self Report
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13514Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1002/jts.21873Publication Info
Nooner, Kate B; Mennes, Maarten; Brown, Shaquanna; Castellanos, F Xavier; Leventhal,
Bennett; Milham, Michael P; & Colcombe, Stanley J (2013). Relationship of trauma symptoms to amygdala-based functional brain changes in adolescents.
J Trauma Stress, 26(6). pp. 784-787. 10.1002/jts.21873. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13514.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Kate B Nooner
Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Kate Brody Nooner, PhD, ABPP, has NIH-funded research and collaborates with Dr.
David Goldston at Duke Psychiatry to conduct research as part of the National Consortium
on Alcohol & Neurodevelopment in Adolescence. She is also a tenured full Professor
and Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info