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bioRxiv · 10.1101/438952

Individual variability in behavior and functional networks predicts vulnerability using a predator scent model of PTSD

Perez, P. D.·Dopfel, D.·Bravo-Rivera, H.·Quirk, G. J.·Zhang, N.
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Abstract

Only a minority of individuals who experience traumatic event(s) subsequently develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, whether differences in vulnerability to PTSD result from predisposition or a consequence of trauma exposure remains unclear. A major challenge in differentiating these possibilities is that clinical studies focus on individuals already exposed to traumatic experiences, and do not take into account pre-trauma conditions. Here using the predator scent model of PTSD in rats and a longitudinal design, we measured pre-trauma brain-wide neural circuit functional connectivity (FC), behavioral and corticosterone responses to trauma exposure, and post-trauma anxiety. Individual differences in freezing responses to predator scent exposure correlated with differences in pre-trauma FC in a set of neural circuits, especially in olfactory and stress-related systems, indicating that pre-existing function in these circuits could predispose animals to differential fearful responses to threats. Counterintuitively, rats with the lowest freezing showed more avoidance of the predator scent, a prolonged corticosterone response, and higher anxiety long after exposure. This study provides a comprehensive framework of pre-existing circuit function that determines threat response strategy, which might be directly related to the development of PTSD-like behaviors.

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Perez, P. D., Dopfel, D., Bravo-Rivera, H., Quirk, G. J., Zhang, N.. 2018-10-10. Individual variability in behavior and functional networks predicts vulnerability using a predator scent model of PTSD. https://doi.org/10.1101/438952

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