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. 2025 Mar;10(3):314-323.
doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.09.015. Epub 2024 Oct 9.

Reward Neurocircuitry Predicts Longitudinal Changes in Alcohol Use Following Trauma Exposure

Cecilia A Hinojosa  1 , Sanne J H van Rooij  2 , Negar Fani  2 , Robyn A Ellis  3 , Nathaniel G Harnett  4 , Lauren A M Lebois  4 , Timothy D Ely  2 , Tanja Jovanovic  5 , Vishnu P Murty  6 , Stacey L House  7 , Francesca L Beaudoin  8 , Xinming An  9 , Thomas C Neylan  10 , Gari D Clifford  11 , Sarah D Linnstaedt  9 , Laura T Germine  12 , Scott L Rauch  13 , John P Haran  14 , Alan B Storrow  15 , Christopher Lewandowski  16 , Paul I Musey Jr  17 , Phyllis L Hendry  18 , Sophia Sheikh  18 , Christopher W Jones  19 , Brittany E Punches  20 , Lauren A Hudak  21 , Jose L Pascual  22 , Mark J Seamon  23 , Erica Harris  24 , Claire Pearson  25 , David A Peak  26 , Roland C Merchant  27 , Robert M Domeier  28 , Niels K Rathlev  29 , Brian J O'Neil  30 , Paulina Sergot  31 , Steven E Bruce  32 , Diego A Pizzagalli  33 , John F Sheridan  34 , Steven E Harte  35 , Karestan C Koenen  36 , Ronald C Kessler  37 , Samuel A McLean  38 , Kerry J Ressler  4 , Jennifer S Stevens  2
Affiliations

Reward Neurocircuitry Predicts Longitudinal Changes in Alcohol Use Following Trauma Exposure

Cecilia A Hinojosa et al. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Trauma is a risk factor for developing maladaptive alcohol use. Preclinical research has shown that stress alters the processing of midbrain and striatal reward and incentive signals. However, little research has been conducted on alterations in reward-related neurocircuitry posttrauma in humans. Neuroimaging markers may be particularly useful because they can provide insight into the mechanisms that may make an individual vulnerable to developing trauma-related psychopathologies. In this study, we aimed to identify reward-related neural correlates associated with changes in alcohol use after trauma exposure.

Methods: Participants were recruited from U.S. emergency departments for the AURORA study (n = 286; 178 female). Trauma-related change in alcohol use at 8 weeks posttrauma relative to pretrauma was quantified as a change in 30-day total drinking per the PhenX Toolkit Alcohol 30-Day Quantity and Frequency measure. Reward-related neurocircuitry activation and functional connectivity were assessed 2 weeks posttrauma using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a monetary reward task using region of interest and whole-brain voxelwise analyses.

Results: Greater increase in alcohol use from pretrauma to 8 weeks posttrauma was predicted by 1) greater ventral tegmental area, 2) greater cerebellum activation during gain > loss trials measured 2 weeks posttrauma, and 3) greater seed-based functional connectivity between the ventral tegmental area and lateral occipital cortex and precuneus.

Conclusions: Altered ventral tegmental area activation and functional connectivity early posttrauma may be associated with reward seeking and processing, thereby contributing to greater alcohol use posttrauma. These data provide novel evidence of neural correlates that underlie increased alcohol use early posttrauma that may be targeted via early interventions to prevent the development of maladaptive alcohol use.

Keywords: Alcohol; Functional Connectivity; Neuroimaging; Reward; Trauma; Ventral tegmental area.

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