Neurophysiological Correlates of Collective Trauma Recall in 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake Survivors

The aim of the present study was to explore neural correlates of L’Aquila 2009 earthquake survivors in response to being shown pictures featuring their own city before and after an earthquake and those of an unfamiliar city. Moreover, we explored the association between psychological variables and brain responses to the pictures of L’Aquila after the earthquake. Electroencephalographic (EEG) data of 32 adults (final sample: survivors group (n = 15) age M = 31.40, SD = 9.42 vs. control group (n = 15) age M = 30.53, SD = 10.01) were recorded, using a 256-electrodes HydroCel-Geodesic-Sensor-Net, during a visual task that included earthquake-related stimuli. Participants were assessed for posttraumatic and dissociation symptoms. Event-related potential (ERP) components and low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) were analyzed. In survivors, source localization indicated a lower intensity of the amygdala, hippocampal, parahippocampal, and temporopolar areas in response to visual stimuli concerning the earthquake compared to the control group. Results indicated a reduced limbic activation in response to visual stimuli that evoked the recall of earthquake in survivors. This finding suggests that survivors probably adopted a distancing strategy towards stimuli that may elicit an emotional activation related to collective trauma.