The Impact of Trauma on the Brain: The Physiological Effects of PTSD
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that can develop after an individual has been exposed to, or has witnessed a traumatic event. The most common symptoms of PTSD are flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, lack of concentration, emotional numbing, difficulty remembering events related to the trauma, avoidance of reminders of the event, and hyperarousal. In addition to the psychological manifestations of PTSD, there are underlying physiological effects that bring about these severe and chronic symptoms and impair functioning in many ways. Brain imaging scans have revealed the effects of PTSD-related trauma on different areas of the brain. This has led to increased …show more content…
Furthermore, they have shown structural and functional differences in areas of the brains of those with PTSD compared with those without PTSD. The areas of the brain that are known to be affected and responsible for bringing on the usual symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are the hippocampus, amygdala, and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. (Wlassoff 2015) The damage causes these areas, collectively, to change the mechanisms of stress responses that impair perception and responses in patients with PTSD compared to someone who has not been traumatized. (Wlassoff 2015) Basically, the brain shifts from “learning mode” which allows for exploration and enjoyment to “survival mode”. (Ford 2012) When operating in “survival mode”, a person feels their safety is in constant danger. (Ford 2012) This can bring about many types of negative reactions, which are chronic- occurring long after the …show more content…
(Bremner 2006) It also allows us to record and retrieve memories when presented with related stimuli and differentiate between old and new memories. (Wlassoff 2015) The hippocampus shows the majority of the impact from trauma. Those who suffer from PTSD have a notable decrease in volume of the hippocampus, which causes an inability to tell the difference in contexts of the present environment or circumstance that may only have remote similarities to the past traumatic circumstance. (Wlassoff 2015) In PTSD, the old traumatic memories are unable to be minimized by the hippocampus. (Wlassoff 2015) The extent of severity and amount of time passed since the trauma is associated with smaller hippocampal volumes. (Bremner 2006)
Another area affected by trauma is the amygdala, which is part of the brain that is responsible for emotional processing and linked to responding to frightening situations. (Wlassoff 2015) In patients with PTSD, the amygdala is overactive when the patient is confronted with stimuli related to the past traumatic experience. This causes extreme symptoms of anxiety, fear and panic. (Barry
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that can develop after an individual has been exposed to, or has witnessed a traumatic event. The most common symptoms of PTSD are flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, lack of concentration, emotional numbing, difficulty remembering events related to the trauma, avoidance of reminders of the event, and hyperarousal. In addition to the psychological manifestations of PTSD, there are underlying physiological effects that bring about these severe and chronic symptoms and impair functioning in many ways. Brain imaging scans have revealed the effects of PTSD-related trauma on different areas of the brain. This has led to increased …show more content…
Furthermore, they have shown structural and functional differences in areas of the brains of those with PTSD compared with those without PTSD. The areas of the brain that are known to be affected and responsible for bringing on the usual symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are the hippocampus, amygdala, and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. (Wlassoff 2015) The damage causes these areas, collectively, to change the mechanisms of stress responses that impair perception and responses in patients with PTSD compared to someone who has not been traumatized. (Wlassoff 2015) Basically, the brain shifts from “learning mode” which allows for exploration and enjoyment to “survival mode”. (Ford 2012) When operating in “survival mode”, a person feels their safety is in constant danger. (Ford 2012) This can bring about many types of negative reactions, which are chronic- occurring long after the …show more content…
(Bremner 2006) It also allows us to record and retrieve memories when presented with related stimuli and differentiate between old and new memories. (Wlassoff 2015) The hippocampus shows the majority of the impact from trauma. Those who suffer from PTSD have a notable decrease in volume of the hippocampus, which causes an inability to tell the difference in contexts of the present environment or circumstance that may only have remote similarities to the past traumatic circumstance. (Wlassoff 2015) In PTSD, the old traumatic memories are unable to be minimized by the hippocampus. (Wlassoff 2015) The extent of severity and amount of time passed since the trauma is associated with smaller hippocampal volumes. (Bremner 2006)
Another area affected by trauma is the amygdala, which is part of the brain that is responsible for emotional processing and linked to responding to frightening situations. (Wlassoff 2015) In patients with PTSD, the amygdala is overactive when the patient is confronted with stimuli related to the past traumatic experience. This causes extreme symptoms of anxiety, fear and panic. (Barry