The present study observed significant associations between childhood trauma and alpha EEGc in only the left hemisphere for both males and females, regardless of trauma type. Previous studies have reported differences between hemispheres in individuals with childhood trauma, such as smaller left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume in those with childhood trauma (Carballedo et al., 2012; Lu et al., 2019; Paquola, Bennett, & Lagopoulos, 2016). While our study investigated connectivity in the frontal and central regions of the brain, other studies have seen lateral differences in the temporal region, such as smaller left hippocampal volume compared to controls (Bremner et al., 1997; Shu et al., 2013; Stein, Koverola, Hanna, Torchia, & McCLARTY, 1997). Further, less hippocampal activation is associated with increased PTSD symptoms (van Rooij et al., 2018). Another study observed abnormal connectivity between the left PFC and anterior hippocampus in children with PTSD (Heyn et al., 2019). Given the findings from the present study and previous connectivity and imaging studies, future studies should investigate the associations between sex differences and trauma type with connectivity between the PFC and hippocampus in individuals reporting childhood trauma.
