Biological embedding of early trauma: the role of higher prefrontal synaptic strength
European journal of psychotraumatology August 29, 2023 Lihong Jiang, Amanda J. F. Tamman, Christopher L. Averill et al. 8 citations
Early trauma is linked to stronger glutamatergic synaptic strength in people with PTSD, measured via a novel in vivo marker called energy per cycle (EPC). In a sample of 34 adults (16 with PTSD, 18 healthy controls), higher early trauma correlated with higher EPC only in the PTSD group. Greater synaptic strength was associated with reduced behavioral inhibition, and EPC mediated stronger links between reward responsiveness and early trauma. These findings suggest that trauma-induced changes in synaptic plasticity may underlie psychiatric risk and point to potential targets for treatments like ketamine and psilocybin.