Reward and aversion processing in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder: functional neuroimaging with visual and thermal stimuli

摘要: In patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a decrease in the brain reward function was reported behavioral- and neuroimaging studies. While pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this response are unclear, there several lines of evidence suggesting over-recruitment regions by aversive stimuli rendering them unavailable to respond reward-related content. The purpose study juxtapose responses functional probes that reliably produce rewarding experiences PTSD subjects healthy controls. used were pleasant, neutral images selected from International Affective Picture System (IAPS) along pain-inducing heat applied dorsum left hand; all administered during 3 T magnetic resonance imaging. Analyses IAPS for pleasant revealed significantly decreased subjective ratings activations included striatum medial prefrontal-, parietal- temporal cortices. For images, observed amygdala thalamus. provided similar thermal sensory thresholds each temperatures. When 46 °C (hot) 42 °C (neutral) temperatures contrasted, voxelwise between-group comparison greater striatum, amygdala, hippocampus prefrontal cortex subjects. These latter findings most part mirrored 44 vs. contrast. Our data suggest different alterations patterns PTSD, namely relatively diminished corticolimbic psychosocial face exaggerated heat-related pain. present support hypothesis sensitization pain may interfere processing whether they or valence.