37th Annual Student Research Conference
White Matter Integrity in Black American Women with PTSD
Micaela S. Merrill
Dr. Nancy Daley-Moore, Faculty Mentor
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex mental illness brought on by exposure to one or more traumatic events. Investigating potential biomarkers of PTSD may aid in development of effective treatments, especially for populations that are currently underrepresented in the scientific literature. In this study, we use white matter neuroimaging to investigate the role of the cingulum bundle in PTSD in Black American women. Correlations were run between white matter integrity values and measures of PTSD symptoms, trauma exposure, depression symptoms, and experiences of discrimination. White matter integrity in the left cingulum was found to be negatively associated with trauma frequency and PTSD symptom intensity. Significant differences in white matter integrity of the frontal cingulum were also found to be associated with childhood and adult trauma exposure. Future research may direct its attention to the neurobiology of trauma exposure and PTSD using a longitudinal study design.
Keywords: PTSD, white matter integrity, neuroimaging
Topic(s):Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone
Biology
Psychology
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 203-1
Location: SUB Georgian Room B
Time: 10:30