OxCIN Global Scholars + Methods

Neuroimaging biomarkers of TBI and comorbid PTSD: from systematic evidence to longitudinal analysis

Presented by Allegra Moodley

Abstract: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major global health concern and a key risk factor for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite substantial overlap in symptomatology between these conditions, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying PTSD following TBI remain poorly understood. Neuroimaging studies have begun to identify structural and functional brain alterations associated with TBI and comorbid PTSD; however, findings remain inconsistent across studies. 

This seminar will present work from my ongoing PhD investigating neuroimaging biomarkers associated with TBI and subsequent development of PTSD. Key findings from a systematic review highlights convergent alterations across fronto-limbic circuitry in individuals with TBI and comorbid PTSD, as well as hypoconnectivity within the default mode network. Interpretation of these findings, which implicate regions involved in emotion regulation, salience processing, and introspective thought, is limited by variability in study design, population characteristics, and methodological considerations.

Building on these findings, I will present ongoing work leveraging data from the CENTER-TBI multisite collaboration to examine structural and diffusion imaging markers associated with TBI and their relationship with PTSD symptom trajectories over the first year post-injury. By integrating cross-sectional and longitudinal imaging metrics, this work will examine the neurobiological vulnerability and recovery following TBI and shared imaging markers underlying PTSD development in a civilian cohort.

 Details tbc