Structural covariance, regional topology, and volumetric aspects of amygdala subnuclei in posttraumatic stress disorder using ultra-high field imaging

Abstract

The amygdala is a subcortical brain structure involved in threat processing and implicated in various psychopathology. Previous efforts to map amygdala subnuclei connectivity have been hindered by technological limitations. This study used ultra-high field imaging to investigate the covariance profiles of amygdala subnuclei to better understand their contribution to trauma-related psychopathology and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants included 59 non-trauma-exposed controls (NEC; 51% female), 78 trauma-exposed controls (TEC; 65% female), and 73 individuals with PTSD (93% female) who completed T1-weighted MP2RAGE anatomical scans using a 7-Tesla MRI scanner. FreeSurfer was use..