Program of Research
Fani N., King T.Z., Shin J., Srivastava A., Brewster R.C., Jovanovic T., Bradley B., and Ressler K.J., Structural and Functional Connectivity in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Associations with FKP5, 2016, Depression and Anxiety, 33:4, 300-307
In this article, Negar Fani and other researchers sought to examine the associations between PTSD symptoms, the FKBP5 genotype, and cingulum connectivity. They hypothesized that individuals with PTSD would show poorer connectivity in the white matter pathway. In addition, they hypothesized that individuals who carry the FKBP5 genotype would have poorer connectivity in this pathway compared to the controls. 54 African American women with and without PTSD went through MRI scanning and DTI to take images of their brains and map their microstructural connectivity. Their saliva was collected to see if they carried the FKBP5 genotype. As a result, they found that the participants with PTSD had poorer white matter connectivity, specifically the posterior aspects of the cingulum. When considering the FKBP5 gene, participants that carried the gene had significantly lower FA scores compared to individuals who carried zero or one risk allele. This shows that there is a link between poor white matter connectivity and the FKBPN gene.
Fani N., King T.Z, Jovanovic T., Glover E.M., Bradley B., Choi K., Ely T., Gutman D.A, and Ressler K.J., White Matter Integrity in Highly Traumatized Adults With and Without Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 2012, Neuropsychopharmacology, 37, 2740-2746
In this article, Negar Fani and other researcher sought to investigate the relationship between PTSD and white matter integrity in a population of highly traumatized African American adults with and without PTSD. They hypothesized that the individuals with PTSD will show differences in FA in white matter tracts connecting the hippocampus and cingulate cortex compared to the traumatized adults without PTSD. 25 African American women with PTSD and 26 women without PTSD participated in the study. The researchers used DTI to measure their white matter integrity. The researchers found that the women with PTSD showed significant lower white matter integrity in the posterior regions of the cingulum bundle compared to the women without PTSD.
Fani N., Stenson A.F., Van Rooij S.J.H., La Barrie D.L., Jovanovic T., White Matter Microstructure in Trauma-exposed Children: Associations with pubertal stage, 2021, Developmental Science, 24:6
In this article, Negar Fani and other researchers examined the associations between white matter integrity in trauma exposed pubertal stage children. They hypothesized that trauma exposure would be inversely associated with white matter integrity and decreases in FA and increases in MD would be evident in the fronto-limbic tracts. 41 male and female African American children who have had trauma exposure along with a control group participated in the study. The researchers used DTI to mark the integrity of the white matter tracts using FA and MD. Violent trauma exposure was associated with in the in the corpus callosum, cingulum bundle and uncinate fasciculus. lower MD in the hippo-campal cingulum and uncinate fasciculus.
These papers range from a basic examination of the associations between white matter integrity and trauma to idenifiying a genotype that may play a role in the integrity of white matter in trauma exposed individuals. The third and second paper are more zoomed out while the first paper is zoomed in as it focuses on the FKBP5 genotype.
Main Author: The main author of these articles is Negar Fani. Negar Fani is clinical neuropsychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Emory University. Her clinical work and research centers around people with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with a focus on those who have experienced interpersonal trauma, including childhood maltreatment and racial trauma. Her overall research goal is to characterize diverse trauma responses using behavior, psychophysiology, functional and structural brain imaging, and use this data to inform targeted interventions.