Director: Isabelle M. Rosso, PhD.
The Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders Laboratory conducts research on the neurobiological basis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety disorders, which may help inform diagnosis and lead to new treatment development for these serious and often debilitating conditions.
The lab uses brain imaging technologies to study the function, structure, and chemistry of the brain in both healthy people and patients suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and depression. We also use behavioral paradigms, including tasks that assess learning and memory, so that we can study brain-behavior relationships.
Research questions of interest to our laboratory include:
- What are the cognitive and brain mechanisms underlying the development of persistent trauma-related mental disorders such as PTSD?
- What are the shared versus distinct brain changes across different anxiety and emotional disorders?
- What are the neural mechanisms underlying risk and resilience for emotional disorders? For example, why do some people develop PTSD after experiencing trauma while other people do not?
- Are there brain “markers” of risk and resilience to trauma?
- What are the brain changes that occur during successful treatment of emotional disorders?
Ongoing Research Projects at McLean Hospital
The primary focus of the Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders Laboratory is understanding the neurobiological basis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorders.
Examination of riluzole as a potential medication for PTSD symptoms and underlying hippocampus chemistry (PI: Rosso)
There are limited evidenced-based therapies available for PTSD, and current treatments are inadequate for many patients. One major challenge to developing more effective treatments for PTSD has been our limited understanding of its biological basis. PTSD is diagnosed based on self-report of symptoms only, and no biological tests or biomarkers are available to guide diagnosis or treatment selection. As a result, treatment planning is not informed by knowledge of pathophysiological mechanisms. Moreover, although PTSD is currently defined as a unitary disorder, factor analysis studies show that it is comprised of five distinct symptom clusters, and these may have partly or entirely separate neurobiological substrates. Thus, treatments that target specific behaviors or symptom groupings are most likely to be effective as alternative or augmentive therapies for PTSD.
This study is a 6-week trial of a medication called riluzole in adults with PTSD. We are interested in determining whether riluzole affects symptoms of PTSD and also the chemistry of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is a brain region that is involved in memory generally, and perhaps in trauma-related memories specifically. This research is funded through an Independent Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.
Reward valuation in posttraumatic stress disorder: contribution of nucleus accumbens-insula circuitry (PI: Olson)
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased rates of externalizing disorders, as well as alcohol/substance use disorders, and suicidal behavior. Biological dysregulations in the way the brain processes rewards may play a significant role in the increased likelihood of these behaviors in PTSD. The purpose of the present study is to identify how brain circuits may contribute to changes in the way the brain processes rewards in PTSD. We are also studying healthy comparison subjects who don’t have PTSD. We are focusing on how interactions between two brain regions, the nucleus accumbens and the anterior insula, may contribute to changes in the way the brain processes rewards following a trauma. By understanding the potential changes that trauma exposure may have on reward processing, it may lead to improved behavioral therapies that are able to specifically target symptoms of PTSD that are currently difficult to treat. This research is funded through a NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.
Neuroeconomics of Social Withdrawal Following Trauma Exposure: Pilot (PI: Olson)
Impaired social functioning is a frequent and disabling side effect of trauma-related disorders, including PTSD. Impaired social functioning most often appears in the forms of social withdrawal and anhedonia, or a lack of enjoyment in activities that once brought the individual pleasure. The study is being conducted in order to understand how exposure to a traumatic event may alter the way that an individual makes decisions. We are also recruiting healthy comparison subjects without exposure to a traumatic event. Specifically, we are investigating how evaluations of social rewards may contribute to the development of social withdrawal in PTSD. The study also examines how, by identifying a profile consistent with social withdrawal, we can use it to identify trauma exposed individuals at risk for poor health outcomes. This pilot study is funded by an Eleanor and Miles Shore Harvard Medical School Fellowship and a McLean Hospital Presidential Award.
Social Withdrawal Following Trauma Exposure: a Neuroeconomic Approach (PI: Olson)
Impaired social functioning is a frequent and disabling side effect of trauma-related disorders, including PTSD. Impaired social functioning most often appears in the forms of social withdrawal and anhedonia, or a lack of enjoyment in activities that once brought the individual pleasure. The study is being conducted in order to understand how exposure to a traumatic event may alter the way that an individual makes decisions. We are also recruiting healthy comparison subjects without exposure to a traumatic event. Specifically, we are investigating how evaluations of social rewards may contribute to the development of social withdrawal in PTSD. The study also examines how, by identifying a profile consistent with social withdrawal, we can use it to identify trauma exposed individuals at risk for poor health outcomes. This pilot study is funded by an Eleanor and Miles Shore Harvard Medical School Fellowship and a McLean Hospital Presidential Award.