Cognitive Neuroscience Society 2025 Poster Presentation

Photophobia, or light sensitivity, is a complex condition frequently reported by individuals with chronic pain, PTSD, and other neuropsychiatric conditions—yet it remains poorly understood and primarily assessed through self-report. At the 2025 Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting, Caroline presented findings from a recent study exploring the neural basis of photophobia in a multimorbid Veteran sample.

Drawing on resting-state fMRI data from 204 post-9/11 Veterans in the TRACTS longitudinal cohort, the research identified a set of distinct functional connectivity patterns linking visual and pain-processing regions of the brain. These features successfully distinguished individuals with self-reported photophobia from those without, with over 74% classification accuracy.

These findings underscore the idea that photophobia reflects a unique neurophysiological profile, rather than being solely a symptom of other psychiatric or behavioral disorders. By identifying the brain networks specifically associated with light sensitivity, this work contributes to a deeper, more objective understanding of sensory symptoms in complex clinical populations.