Traumatic stress alters neural reactivity to visual stimulation

Traumatic stress is a precursor to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Emergent research suggests visual processing regions may be relevant to PTSD development; however, no previous research to date has investigated the potential effects of trauma exposure on neural reactivity to non-affective visual stimulation. In the present study, 24 recently trauma-exposed (TE) and 16 without recent exposure to trauma (NTE) individuals completed functional magnetic resonance imaging during alternating blocks of flickering checkerboard presentations and rest with an attentional check. TE participants were recruited within 2–4 weeks of trauma, and PTSD symptoms were assessed both at the time of the magnetic resonance imaging scan and 6 months following trauma exposure. TE participants showed greater deactivation within the visual cortex compared to NTE participants. Further, NTE participants showed greater neural reactivity within the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex during stimulation compared to rest, while no difference was observed in TE participants. Connectivity analyses also revealed that visual cortex to paracentral gyrus connectivity was greater during stimulation compared to rest, but only for the NTE participants. Finally, neural reactivity to visual stimulation was negatively associated with PTSD symptoms within the TE group. Our findings suggest that trauma exposure is associated with acute alterations in the neural function that underlies basic visual processing. Furthermore, trauma-induced variability in visual circuit function may be related to the development and expression of PTSD symptoms.