Title:  The neurobiological impact of trauma and mechanisms of PTSD susceptibility

Abstract:  Trauma exposure is an unfortunately common occurrence and can lead to the development of neuropsychiatry disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The neurobiological mechanisms that underlie greater risk for posttraumatic dysfunction in some individuals are unclear and elucidating the neural dynamics that mediate PTSD susceptibility would provide quantitative targets for predictive modeling and early intervention. The present lecture will discuss ongoing efforts to leverage multimodal magnetic resonance imaging in recent trauma victims to elucidate neural signatures of PTSD susceptibility. Current results suggest important potential roles for canonical threat and sensorial neurocircuitry in the development of posttraumatic dysfunction. The talk will further explore the moderating role of prior trauma and adverse life experiences on PTSD-related neurobiology with an emphasis on the overlooked consequences of race-related disparities. The findings highlight promising advances in understanding the neural mechanisms of PTSD susceptibility but highlight key ways in which prior life experiences that occur disparately between groups may impact neurobiological models of psychiatric disease.  

Dr. Harnett is an Assistant Neuroscientist at McLean Hospital and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

NACS Seminars are free and open to the public.