PMID: 16639185Apr 28, 2006Paper

New fields of research in posttraumatic stress disorder: brain imaging

Current Opinion in Psychiatry
Cristian DamsaCharles B Pull

Abstract

This paper reviews the most recent literature on brain imaging research in posttraumatic stress disorder. Neuroimagery identifies several cerebral modifications occurring after a significant psychological trauma, and it contributes to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder. A systematic search of the literature in English, French, German and Dutch from January 2003 to August 2004 was performed on MEDLINE. References cited in all trials were searched iteratively to identify missing studies. There appears to be a consensus in brain imaging findings concerning posttraumatic stress disorder: a diminished volume of the hippocampus uni- or bilateral (on the structural level) and a hyper-reactivity in the amygdala, with a lowered activation in the anterior cingular cortex (at the functional level). These findings are in agreement with several neurological and psychological studies suggesting that hyper-reactivity in the amygdala corresponds to a constellation of symptoms of anxiety in posttraumatic stress disorder, while the lowered activation of the prefrontal and the anterior cingular cortex could reflect slower extinction of a conditioned emotional response. These neuroimaging findings could ...Continue Reading

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