The Institutional Review Board of Emory University approved all study procedures. A total of 54 African-American women aged 20–62 years were recruited through an ongoing study of risk factors for PTSD. Individuals were approached in general medical clinics of a publicly-funded hospital that serves low income individuals in inner-city Atlanta. Eligibility criteria for participation included ability to understand English (assessed by a study researcher) and willingness to provide informed consent. Participants were initially screened for the following exclusion criteria: current psychotropic medication use, current alcohol or substance dependence, medical or physical conditions that preclude MRI scanning (e.g., metal implants), a history of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder, medical conditions that contribute significantly to psychiatric symptoms (e.g., dementia), history of head injury with loss of consciousness for longer than 5 minutes, or a history of neurological illness. Clinical assessments were administered during a separate appointment. Participants were given a pregnancy test to confirm that they were not pregnant and a urine drug screen to rule out substance use on the day prior to scanning. Clinical, genetic and DTI data from 22 participants were published previously (13).
