Higher (PTG) is associated with increased in the left centro-temporal brain area around EEG electrode C3.
PTG may promote wellbeing more effectively than solely reducing PTSD symptoms.
Limited neural evidence exists regarding the relationship between PTG, resilience, and PTSD.
An examination of 30 trauma-exposed healthy adults revealed significant differences in alpha power related to PTG levels.
Higher alpha power at electrode C3 distinguished individuals with high PTG from those with low PTG.
A trend suggested that high PTG could be differentiated from PTSD at the same brain location.
The findings support the theory that PTG, resilience, and PTSD are independent but co-occurring constructs.
Simplified
Supporting wellbeing beyond symptom reduction is necessary in trauma care. Research suggests increased (PTG) may promote wellbeing more effectively than posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom reduction alone. Understanding neurobiological mechanisms of PTG would support PTG intervention development. However, most PTG research to-date has been cross-sectional data self-reported through surveys or interviews.Neural evidence of PTG and its coexistence with resilience and PTSD is limited. To advance neural PTG literature and contribute translational neuroscientific knowledge necessary to develop future objectively measurable neural-based PTG interventions.Alpha frequency EEG and validated psychological inventories measuring PTG, resilience, and PTSD symptoms were collected from 30 trauma-exposed healthy adults amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. EEG data were collected using custom MNE-Python software, and a wireless OpenBCI 16-channel dry electrode EEG headset. Psychological inventory scores were analysed in SPSS Statistics and used to categorise the EEG data. Power spectral density analyses,-tests and ANOVAs were conducted within EEGLab to identify brain activity differentiating high and low PTG, resilience, and PTSD symptoms.Higher PTG was significantly differentiated from low PTG by higher in the left centro-temporal brain area around EEG electrode C3. A trend differentiating high PTG from PTSD was also indicated in this same location. Whole-scalp spectral topographies revealed alpha power EEG correlates of PTG, resilience and PTSD symptoms shared limited, but potentially meaningful similarities.This research provides the first comparative neural topographies of PTG, resilience and PTSD symptoms in the known literature. Results provide objective neural evidence supporting existing theory depicting PTG, resilience and PTSD as independent, yet co-occurring constructs. PTG neuromarker alpha C3 significantly delineated high from low PTG and warrants further investigation for potential clinical application. Findings provide foundation for future neural-based interventions and research for enhancing PTG in trauma-exposed individuals. Background: Objective: Method: Results: Conclusion: t
Key numbers
30
Participants
Total number of trauma-exposed healthy adults in the study.
8.63
Mean Overwhelming Trauma Score
Average score on a scale of 1 to 10 for how overwhelming participants found their most impactful trauma.
Significantly higher
at C3
at electrode C3 differentiates high from low .
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