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http://dx.doi.org/10.24986/anxmod.2022.18.2.001

Effects of Occupational Trauma Exposure on Brain Functional Connectivity in Firefighters With Subclinical Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study  

Heo, Yul (Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University)
Bang, Minji (Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University)
Lee, Sang-Hyuk (Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University)
Lee, Kang Soo (Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University)
Publication Information
Anxiety and mood / v.18, no.2, 2022 , pp. 39-47 More about this Journal
Abstract
Objective : This study investigated brain functional connectivity in male firefighters who showed subclinical post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Methods : We compared the data of 17 firefighters who were not diagnosed with PTSD and 18 healthy controls who had no trauma exposure. The following instruments were applied to assess psychiatric symptoms: Korean version of the Post-traumatic stress disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5-K), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). For all subjects, functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and functional connectivity was compared between the two groups (family-wise error-corrected p<0.05). Additionally, correlations between psychiatric symptoms and functional connectivity were explored. Results : The following connectivity was higher than that of healthy controls: 1) the central opercular cortex-superior temporal gyrus, 2) planum polare-parahippocampal gyrus, 3) angular gyrus-amygdala, and 4) temporal fusiform cortex-parahippocampal gyrus. The functional connectivity of 1) the lateral occipital cortex-inferior temporal gyrus, 2) superior parietal lobule-caudate, and 3) middle temporal gyrus-thalamus were lower in firefighters. In firefighters, the connectivity of the planum polare-parahippocampal gyrus showed a negative correlation with the severity of arousal symptoms (rho=-0.586, p=0.013). The connectivity of the middle temporal gyrus-thalamus showed a positive correlation with the severity of intrusion (rho=0.552, p=0.022) and arousal symptoms (rho=0.619, p=0.008). The connectivity of the temporal fusiform cortex-parahippocampal gyrus was negatively correlated with intrusion (rho=-0.491, p=0.045) and arousal (rho=-0.579, p=0.015). Conclusion : Our results indicate that the brain functional connectivity is associated with occupational trauma exposure in firefighters without PTSD. Therefore, this study provides evidence that close monitoring and early intervention are important for firefighters with traumatic experience even at a subthreshold level.
Keywords
Post-traumatic stress disorder; Fire fighters; Functional magnetic resonance imaging;
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