Reward circuitry in resilience to severe trauma: An fMRI investigation of resilient special forces soldiers

Vythilingam, Meena; Nelson, Eric E.; Scaramozza, Matthew; Waldeck, Tracy; Hazlett, Gary; Southwick, Steven M.; Pine, Daniel S.; Drevets, Wayne; Charney, Dennis S.; Ernst, Monique

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2008.06.008

« Previous Next »Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Volume 172, Issue 1 , Pages 75-77, 30 April 2009

Reward circuitry in resilience to severe trauma: An fMRI investigation of resilient special forces soldiers

Meena Vythilingam
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Corresponding author. 15 K North Drive, Rm #111, MSC 2670, Bethesda, MD 20892-2670, USA.
Eric E. Nelson
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Contributed equally.
Matthew Scaramozza
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Contributed equally.
Tracy Waldeck
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
Gary Hazlett
- The Psychological Applications Directorate, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Training and School, Fort Bragg, NC, USA
Steven M. Southwick
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
Daniel S. Pine
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
Wayne Drevets
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
Dennis S. Charney
- Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Contributed equally.
Monique Ernst
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Contributed equally.

Received 20 November 2007; received in revised form 17 April 2008; accepted 12 June 2008.

Abstract

Enhanced brain reward function could contribute to resilience to trauma. Reward circuitry in active duty, resilient special forces (SF) soldiers was evaluated using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a monetary incentive delay task. Findings in this group of resilient individuals revealed unique patterns of activation during expectation of reward in the subgenual prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens area, regions pivotal to reward processes.

Keywords: Reward, Resilience, Trauma, Posttraumatic stress disorder