Kate Webb, PhD

The moderating role of psychological resilience on brain aging and PTSD in a community sample of South African women Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with accelerated biological aging. In general, psychological resilience is related to more normativ…

Paper link: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Honored to visit/work with the University of Cape Town-based team 🇿🇦 (thanks to @hsph.harvard.edu Rose Traveling Fellowship). My F32 collaborator + senior author, Dan Stein, passed before this paper was accepted. He was a brilliant scientist and kind mentor. He is deeply missed ❤️

We need to prioritize broader representation when training brain age models. Still, findings add to the evidence that greater psychological resilience may carry a biological cost for individuals with PTSD. We need longitudinal studies to fully disentangle this finding!

⚠️ caveat: the model estimated participants’ brains to be 10+ years older than their actual age! Prediction accuracy was low; aligning with results from other South African cohorts. These models lack geographic, SES, & ethnoracial diversity, which limits their utility.

In the current paper, we found a similar effect on brain aging. Among women with PTSD, higher psychological resilience was associated with older brain age. This was primarily driven by accelerated aging in subcortical regions previously implicated in PTSD.

Accelerated DNA methylation aging and increased resilience in veterans: The biological cost for soldiering on Accelerated epigenetic aging, the difference between the DNA methylation-predicted age (DNAm age) and the chronological age, is associated with a myriad of diseases. This study investigates the relationship between epigenetic aging and risk and ...

For example, Dr. Divya Mehta + colleagues found that among individuals already suffering from PTSD, increased psychological resilience was associated with accelerated epigenetic aging.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

🎉 1st paper from my NIMH F32 fellowship examining risk and resilience factors + biological aging after trauma (mentors: @nateurneuro.bsky.social and Kerry Ressler!)

Under certain conditions, resilience factors can have unexpected or even adverse effects....

Nine subcortical/cerebellar atlases included in the subcortex_visualization Python package (and subcortexVisualizationR package in R). The atlases are depicted in two-dimensional vector graphic format.

The extended version of my thesis procrastination project/subcortex visualization package is out now in both Python and R, now that I’ve graduated 🤠 This figure shows the 9 atlases included (and counting)!

Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Website: anniegbryant.github.io/subcortex_vi...

The BEES Lab Website launched this week! Check out what the hive is up to: psychiatry.duke.edu/biological-e...

I would pay good money for this type of review.

I was heartbroken to learn of the passing of Dan Stein, a renowned leader in global mental health and an exceptional, kind mentor. I am grateful for the opportunity to have trained with him. Thinking of all who knew and loved him.

We just launched our new study (my 1st at Duke @dukepsychiatry.bsky.social 🎉)! The project aims to understand how socioenvironmental and daily stress influence risk for PTSD after trauma. 🧠 #Neuroscience #TraumaResearch

Child sexual abuse versus adult sexual assault: A review of psychological and neurobiological sequelae - PubMed Sexual trauma (ST) occurs with alarming frequency in the United States (U.S.) in the form of both childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adulthood sexual assault (ASA). It is well-established that the effects of ST are pervasive, and that ST can be a risk factor for the development of several psychiatric …

At our BEES Lab journal club today, Clinical Research Specialist Grace Rowland shared 3 papers on the psychological & neurobiological effects of sexual trauma — including her recent review with @nateurneuro.bsky.social: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39006552/
🧠📚 #JournalClub #Neuroscience #TraumaResearch

We’re looking for a #postdoc with expertise in #psychiatry, #epidemiology, #neuroscience, or #publichealth. Based at Stellenbosch University, you’ll join our international and multidisciplinary team studying how environmental factors shape PTSD risk in South Africa! Apply today!

🚨 Calling #trainees in #psychiatry and #neuroscience.. Join the @sobp-org.bsky.social Trainee Working Group (part of the Education Committee) and help us plan early career events at the annual meeting! This is a 3-year term starting Jan 2026 - send me an email/DM to learn more!

Cape Town was incredible as always🇿🇦 Reminiscing over photos from the @ibroorg.bsky.social + @wellcometrust.bsky.social
#NCAMH seminar. Grateful for the chance to connect with new colleagues who are making #mentalhealthresearch more inclusive and impactful!
@dukepsychiatry.bsky.social

A great 1st day of the
@ibroorg.bsky.social
+ @wellcometrust.bsky.social
#NCAMH event in Cape Town 🇿🇦 This cohort represents 15 different countries! 🌎 Excited to accelerate #mentalhealthresearch and plan the 2026 launch of an African Exposome Network! @dukepsychiatry.bsky.social

A New Opportunity for Neuroethics Education in South Africa

Delighted to support this program and to welcome the inaugural cohort of the African Neuroscience, Neuroethics, and Society short course this month!
dana.org/article/a-ne...

Gold ribbon with words "New Award!" and funding icon. Duke Psychiatry logo. Climate Change and Global Mental Health Pilot Award: How air pollution affects inflammatory & gut microbiome biomarkers & mental health outcomes. Kate Webb, PhD.

Congrats to Duke Psychiatry's Dr. Kate Webb on her new #ClimateChange & #GlobalMentalHealth award to support her collaborative work in S. Africa on how air pollution affects inflammatory & gut microbiome biomarkers & mental health outcomes, funded by Duke Global Health Institute. 🌟
Kate Webb, PhD

Looking forward to sharing new findings and catching up with some of my favorite folks in Baltimore! @istss.bsky.social

Delighted that our project establishing a collaborative platform for research on environmental factors (exposome) and mental health outcomes in South Africa has received a @ibroorg.bsky.social and @wellcometrust.bsky.social #NeuroscienceCapacityAcceleratorForMentalHealth award!

After a competitive selection process, we are thrilled to announce the 2025 IBRO-Wellcome Neuroscience Capacity Accelerator for Mental Health grantees!

Congratulations to all awardees 🎉 Discover the selected projects here:
ibro.org/grant/neuros...

@wellcometrust.bsky.social #MentalHealth #NCAMH

This study investigated if exposure to traumatic stress altered brain activity to basic visual stimulation. The authors found that recent trauma survivors showed altered activity within the visual cortex compared to controls. Further, visual cortex reactivity was associated with PTSD symptoms. These Traumatic stress alters neural reactivity to visual stimulation

Let's start the weekend with another episode of the DPN Deep Dive!

This one summarizes work by @nateurneuro.bsky.social & @brainstorm12.bsky.social‬ et al showing that trauma exposure may disrupt more basic visual processing which may contribute to PTSD symptom development

youtu.be/GiKJl3YDZv0...

Federal funding plays a critical role in supporting life-saving research. In the recent APA Div56 newsletter, we outline how Trump policies place trauma research at risk and emphasize the importance of collective action.

apatraumadivision.org/spring-2025-...

Harvard has launched their lawsuit. It’s a good one.

www.harvard.edu/research-fun...

Structural covariance of early visual cortex is negatively associated with PTSD symptoms: A Mega-Analysis from the ENIGMA PTSD workgroup. Background: Identifying robust neural signatures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is important to facilitate precision psychiatry and help in understanding and treatment of the disorde...

In exciting news (for me), we demonstrate a structural covariance network of early visual cortex previously identified in recent trauma survivors is associated with PTSD symptoms in a mega-analysis of the ENIGMA-PTSD dataset.

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

Associations between residential segregation, ambient air pollution, and hippocampal features in recent trauma survivors Background: Residential segregation is associated with differential exposure to air pollution. Hippocampus structure and function are highly susceptible to pollutants and associated with posttraumatic...

New preprint with @nateurneuro.bsky.social and the AURORA study team. We find that residential segregation is associated with alterations in hippocampal microstructure and threat reactivity through increased exposure to PM2.5 and NO2. Public health 🤝 neuroscience. medrxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Trying to preprint more, starting with some of our work looking at reactivity to visual stimulation in recent trauma survivors. Findings suggest trauma exposure may induce acute changes to non-affective stimulation. w/ @irosso.bsky.social & @brainstorm12.bsky.social

doi.org/10.21203/rs....

And shoutout to BBC Africa for the photo summary on IG!

www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/p/...

How giant rats in mini vests help sniff out crime A nonprofit in Tanzania is training African giant rats in scent detection to fight wildlife trafficking.

Thanks BBC for highlighting our recent work in this video!
www.bbc.com/reel/video/p...