Childhood Trauma and are Associated with Adolescent Brain Function, Posttraumatic Stress, and Alcohol-related Outcomes.
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- Authors
- Neale, Zoe E; Cooke, Megan E; Cárcamo, Jasmine; Trabilsy, Maissa; Barr, Peter B; Chatzinakos, Chris; Chorlian, David B; Kuang, Weipeng; Pandey, Gayathri; Goate, Alison M; Porjesz, Bernice; Amstadter, Ananda B; Meyers, Jacquelyn L
- Year
- 2025
- Journal
- medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences
- PMID
- 40385388
- DOI
- 10.1101/2025.05.02.25326879
- PMCID
- PMC12083618
Childhood trauma affects neurodevelopment and lifelong risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Changes in brain structures and function are observed in young carriers of , the genetic factor most associated with Alzheimer's disease. Longitudinal studies of , childhood trauma, and neural connectivity in adolescence have not been explored. We studied 837 trauma-exposed participants (53% female) from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism prospective sample, using latent growth curve models to assess associations of childhood trauma and on repeated measures of frontal alpha EEG coherence (EEGc) throughout adolescence and young adulthood. Young adult AUD and PTSD symptoms were also examined. Results indicate childhood trauma and are linked to neural connectivity, with effects differing by sex and trauma type. In females, sexual trauma was associated with a higher EEGc baseline but less growth, while associated with lower right frontocentral (RFC) EEGc baseline and higher slope. In males, physical assault was associated with lower left frontocentral (LFC) EEGc baseline but increased growth, and non-assaultive trauma was linked to a lower RFC baseline and no association with growth. was associated with lower LFC baseline and higher slope in males. Links between EEGc and AUD and PTSD were observed in both sexes, though effects differed in direction and strength. No significant trauma-by- interactions emerged, nor direct links between and PTSD or AUD. Findings highlight how EEGc may help explain connections between genetics, trauma, and psychopathology, guiding at-risk group identification and informing prevention strategies.
Path diagram of latent growth curve model estimating associations between childhood trauma, APOEε4, intercept and slope of EEG coherence, and Follow-up 3 AUD and PTSD symptomsNote. Growth curves were estimated based on individually varying age at the time of each EEG coherence observation. Parental education and ten ancestry principal components were included as covariates but are not depicted in the path diagram. Note, CNAT = Childhood non-assaultive trauma, CSAT = Childhood sexual assaultive trauma, CPAT = Childhood physical assaultive trauma, EEGc = EEG coherence, PTSD = Posttraumatic stress disorder, AUD = alcohol use disorder.
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