Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Results from the largest prospective study of its kind indicate that in the initial days and weeks after experiencing trauma, individuals facing potentially threatening situations who had less activity in their hippocampus -- a brain structure critical for forming memories of situations that are dangerous and that are safe -- developed more severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
This association between reduced hippocampal activity and risk of PTSD was particularly strong in individuals who had greater involuntary defensive reactions to being startled.
This research, published in the JNeurosci, suggests that individuals with greater defensive reactions to potentially threatening events might have a harder time learning whether an event is dangerous or safe. They also are more likely to experience severe forms of PTSD, which include symptoms such as always being on guard for danger, self-destructive behavior like drinking too much or driving too fast, trouble sleeping and concentrating, irritability, angry outbursts, and nightmares.
"These findings are important both to identify specific brain responses associated with vulnerability to develop PTSD, and to identify potential treatments focused on memory processes for these individuals to prevent or treat PTSD," said senior author Vishnu Murty, PhD, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Temple University.
This research is part of the national Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA (AURORA) Study, a multi-institution project funded by the National Institutes of Health, non-profit funding organizations such as One Mind, and partnerships with leading tech companies. The organizing principal investigator is Samuel McLean, MD, MPH, professor of psychiatry and emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and director of the UNC Institute for Trauma Recovery.
AURORA allows researchers to leverage data from patient participants who enter emergency departments at hospitals across the country after experiencing trauma, such as car accidents or other serious incidents. The ultimate goal of AURORA is to spur on the development and testing of preventive and treatment interventions for individuals who have experienced traumatic events.
Journal Reference:
Büşra Tanriverdi, David F. Gregory, Thomas M. Olino, et al. Hippocampal Threat Reactivity Interacts with Physiological Arousal to Predict PTSD Symptoms [$], Journal of Neuroscience (DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0911-21.2022)
(Score: 4, Insightful) by janrinok on Saturday July 30 2022, @05:03AM (3 children)
We tend to think of PTSD as something that veterans or people who have faced major traumas (9/11 etc) suffer from.
I was reading recently (I cannot find source at the moment) that people who have been in vehicle accidents, severe floods or major fires of the sort that we are seeing more frequently around the world are also showing the symptom of PTSD in some cases. Nowadays there is much less of a stigma attached to being diagnosed with PTSD - although it does still exist and should not be ignored - and doctors are more likely to tell patients if they believe that PTSD is what the patient is showing symptoms of. The potentially life-long effects are significant and should not be ignored.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2022, @10:14AM
Yes, it is surprising that various, so-called "ordinary", experiences that cause no obvious mental damage in some people can be the main cause of PTSD in some other people. For example, of people who have been bullied, a minority will go on to develop PTSD. Of people with PTSD, some of them have treatment-resistant PTSD for which there is no effective treatment. One can hope that new treatments and more cost-effective treatments will be developed.
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Saturday July 30 2022, @10:24AM (1 child)
From personal observation I'm assuming that a common cause of PTSD is a prolonged state of "I'm about to die now and there's nothing I can do about it". A veteran friend of mine had it really bad, showing "all of the above" symptoms. Myself, I don't have PTSD, but what I took over from him is to always choose a seat with my back to a wall.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Sunday July 31 2022, @03:08AM
A person, as far as I understand it, does not have to be in personal risk to develop PTSD although that does seem to be a common factor in most cases. There are reports of those who have had to exhume mass graves or had to investigate the worst war crimes also developing PTSD symptoms if they do not receive the proper care and treatment after experiencing such traumas.