Professor In Kyoon Lyoo’s research team reported that alterations in functional brain networks induced by inflammation and stress mediate the development of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

A research team lead by Professor In Kyoon Lyoo has reported the relationship between low-grade inflammation and the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They showed that reduced functional couplings among the higher-order cognitive networks might mediate the development of PTSD in individuals with low-grade inflammation and repetitive stress. The current study was published in the Nature Communications and was selected as Editors' Highlights (co-1st authors: Professors Jungyoon Kim and Sujung Yoon; corresponding author: Professor In Kyoon Lyoo).

In this paper, Professor Lyoo and colleagues reported that low-grade inflammation might render individuals more vulnerable to PTSD when exposed to repetitive stress. Low-grade inflammation, defined as increased pro-inflammatory substances in the peripheral blood, was linked to the reduced inter-network functional connectivity among brain networks. The reduced functional connectivity was subsequently related to more severe PTSD symptoms. The current study results provide a neurobiological basis that peripheral inflammatory substances may be used as predictive markers for the individuals' vulnerability to PTSD at pre-clinical stages. 

Title of the article: "A double-hit of stress and low-grade inflammation on functional brain network mediates posttraumatic stress symptoms"