‘I am afraid you will see the stain on my soul’: Direct gaze neural processing in individuals with PTSD after moral injury recall

Abstract Direct eye contact is essential to understanding others’ thoughts and feelings in social interactions. However, those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and exposure to moral injury (MI) may exhibit altered theory-of-mind (ToM)/mentalizing processes and experience shame which preclu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social cognitive and affective neuroscience 2023-10, Vol.18 (1)
Main Authors: Andrews, Krysta, Lloyd, Chantelle S, Densmore, Maria, Kearney, Breanne E, Harricharan, Sherain, McKinnon, Margaret C, Théberge, Jean, Jetly, Rakesh, Lanius, Ruth A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coloring Agents
Emotions - physiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Mental Recall - physiology
Myocardial Infarction
Original Manuscript
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
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Summary:Abstract Direct eye contact is essential to understanding others’ thoughts and feelings in social interactions. However, those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and exposure to moral injury (MI) may exhibit altered theory-of-mind (ToM)/mentalizing processes and experience shame which precludes one’s capacity for direct eye contact. We investigated blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses associated with direct vs averted gaze using a virtual reality paradigm in individuals with PTSD (n = 28) relative to healthy controls (n = 18) following recall of a MI vs a neutral memory. Associations between BOLD responses and clinical symptomatology were also assessed. After MI recall, individuals with PTSD showed greater activation in the right temporoparietal junction as compared to controls (T = 4.83; pFDR 
ISSN:1749-5016
1749-5024
DOI:10.1093/scan/nsad053