Frontal Theta Event-Related Oscillations During a Continuous Performance Test: The Influence of Trauma Type and Fluid Intelligence Polygenic Score

Abstract

Background: Trauma exposure during adolescence can lead to impaired executive function and altered neural development in related cognitive control networks. Studies have shown that adolescents with a family history of alcohol use disorders have a disproportionately high rate of trauma exposure, as well as impaired response inhibition, making them particularly vulnerable to cognitive impairment and poor mental health outcomes in adulthood. While studies have suggested that this may be due partly to genetic influences, no study to our knowledge has investigated the influences of trauma exposure and polygenic scores (PGS) for cognitive function on later cognitive function.

Methods: This study used data from trauma-exposed individuals in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism prospective cohort (N = 912), comprising offspring from alcohol-dependent high-risk and comparison families, to investigate main and interaction effects of PGS for cognitive function (fluid intelligence score, UK Biobank study) and trauma exposure (nonsexual assaultive, nonassaultive, sexual assaultive) on performance measures and frontal theta event-related oscillations (EROs) during a continuous performance test (CPT).

Results: A significant interaction between fluid intelligence PGS and nonsexual assaultive trauma was observed for CPT ERO power (B = 0.094, p < 0.01), such that individuals with a lower PGS who experienced a nonsexual assaultive traumatic exposure had lower frontal theta ERO power during the cued no-go condition of the CPT.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that a polygenic predisposition for higher fluid intelligence may be associated with differences in neural response inhibition depending on trauma type.

FIGURE 1

Associations of trauma, fluid intelligence polygenic score (PGS) and trauma × PGS interactions with performance and frontal theta event‐related oscillations (EROs) from the continuous performance test (CPT). Note: Only significant pathways are displayed. Significant results that survived a Bonferroni correction for eight tests (p < 0.00625) are bolded. Not pictured but are also included in this model are covariates: sex, age, number of CPT sessions for each individual, principal components, and genotype array. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01.

FIGURE 2

Interaction between fluid intelligence PGS and nonsexual assaultive trauma on frontal theta ERO total power during the cued no‐go condition of a continuous performance test.