Guest Presenter: Dr. Kate Webb (Assistant Neuroscientist, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School)

Talk Title: The biological embedding of socioenvironmental factors and relevance to PTSD

Abstract: Of the nearly 24 million Americans who experience a traumatic event each year, a subset will develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a debilitating condition with significant psychological, financial, and social consequences. Interventions administered in the early aftermath of the trauma can help stave off symptom development; however, identifying those at risk for PTSD and who would benefit from acute treatment is limited by both symptom heterogeneity and the complex interplay between biological and socioenvironmental factors. The present talk will highlight how socioenvironmental risk (e.g., neighborhood disadvantage) and resilience (e.g., residential greenspace) factors may impact PTSD susceptibility in recent trauma survivors. Recent evidence using multimodal MRI and genetics suggesting these factors alter how biomarkers of PTSD perform across sociodemographic groups will also be reviewed. Finally, future directions for research as well as interventions aimed at mitigating the impact of traumatic stress will be discussed.