César San Juan
Researcher in the Department of Social Psychology and lecturer in Criminal Psychology at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)
Based on the information provided, we can intuit that the methodology is sound. The fronto-limbic disconnection coincides with previous findings in PTSD. What is new is that the analysis was performed after sexual assault. The fact that in more than half of the patients the amygdala-cortex connection, which is responsible for managing emotions, almost disappeared is a remarkable result.
It is also relevant that no correlation was found between amygdala-cortex disconnection and symptom severity, indicating that this alteration is specific to PTSD but does not reflect clinical severity. As this is a cross-sectional study, future research should explore longitudinal data to confirm the findings.
This work reinforces the neurobiological basis of PTSD following sexual assault, underscoring the need for early psychological follow-up of victims. If it is confirmed that amygdala-prefrontal disconnection predicts therapeutic response, neuroimaging could help identify higher-risk cases and personalise treatment.