Martina Mustroph, MD, PhD

Pronouns

She/Her/Hers

Rank

Resident (PGY-5)

Institution

BWH

BWH-MGH Title

Resident

Department

Neurosurgery

Authors

*Mustroph M.L.1,2, Ng P.2, Kfir Y.3, & Williams, Z.M.2,3

Determining cortical network properties of social personality traits and psychiatric disorder

WMSS 2022

As a trainee in a male-dominated surgical field, I seek out opportunities to interact with female scientists for support and inspiration. For instance, I mentor female medical students through the inaugural Women in Neurosurgery mentoring program (through the American Association of Neurological Surgeons) and myself am a faculty-advised mentee.

Local events like the Women in Medicine & Science Symposium allow me to forge relationships with female colleagues I can continue locally. I am interested the surgical treatment of epilepsy and movement disorders. I will be completing a fellowship in functional neurosurgery after graduating BWH Neurosurgery residency in 2024.

Background

Humans display a wide array of social personality traits that are often prominently affected by psychiatric disorders. The cortical network properties of these traits and their dysfunctions remain largely unknown.

Methods

We evaluated the personality traits of 35 participants undergoing depth electrode investigation for medically refractory epilepsy at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Multi-dimensional personality traits were constructed using Baron-Cohen’s Autistic Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Empathy Quotient (EQ), and Systemizing Quotient-Revised (SQ-R). Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) recordings from 23 of these participants with adequate resting state recordings were analyzed and correlated with these traits.

Results

Power spectrum analysis of resting state data revealed beta frequency differences in frontal lobe, theta frequency differences in amygdala, and alpha frequency differences in hippocampus and parietal lobe between high-AQ (defined as AQ score >31) and low-AQ-scoring patients, as well as theta and alpha frequency differences in hippocampus and alpha frequency differences in parietal lobe between extreme-systemizing (D=top 2.5%) and average-systemizing and average-empathizing patients.

Conclusions

We conclude that certain social personality traits correlate strongly with resting state activity patterns in frontal lobe, amygdala, hippocampus, and parietal lobes, and that these areas could serve as biomarkers or potential targets for the treatment of psychosocial disorders.