Decreased regional cerebral blood flow in medial prefrontal cortex during trauma-unrelated stressful imagery in Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 2563-2572 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Gold ◽  
L. M. Shin ◽  
S. P. Orr ◽  
M. A. Carson ◽  
S. L. Rauch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Ptsd Group

BackgroundNeuroimaging research has demonstrated medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) hyporesponsivity and amygdala hyperresponsivity to trauma-related or emotional stimuli in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Relatively few studies have examined brain responses to the recollection of stressful, but trauma-unrelated, personal events in PTSD. In the current study, we sought to determine whether regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) abnormalities in mPFC and amygdala in PTSD could be observed during the recollection of trauma-unrelated stressful personal events.MethodParticipants were 35 right-handed male combat veterans (MCVs) and female nurse veterans (FNVs) who served in Vietnam: 17 (seven male, 10 female) with current military-related PTSD and 18 (nine male, nine female) with no current or lifetime PTSD. We used positron emission tomography (PET) and script-driven imagery to study rCBF during the recollection of trauma-unrelated stressful versus neutral and traumatic events.ResultsVoxelwise tests revealed significant between-group differences for the trauma-unrelated stressful versus neutral comparison in mPFC, specifically in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Functional region of interest (ROI) analyses demonstrated that this interaction in mPFC represented greater rCBF decreases in the PTSD group during trauma-unrelated stressful imagery relative to neutral imagery compared to the non-PTSD group. No differential amygdala activation was observed between groups or in either group separately.ConclusionsVeterans with PTSD, compared to those without PTSD, exhibited decreased rCBF in mPFC during mental imagery of trauma-unrelated stressful personal experiences. Functional neuroanatomical models of PTSD must account for diminished mPFC responses that extend to emotional stimuli, including stressful personal experiences that are not directly related to PTSD.

Memory control in post-traumatic stress disorder: evidence from item method directed forgetting in civil war victims in Northern Uganda

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1283-1291 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Zwissler ◽  
A. Hauswald ◽  
S. Koessler ◽  
V. Ertl ◽  
A. Pfeiffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Directed Forgetting ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Memory Control ◽  
War Victims ◽  
Ptsd Group

BackgroundTraumatized individuals and particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients are characterized by memory disturbances that suggest altered memory control. The present study investigated the issue using an item method, directed forgetting (DF) paradigm in 51 civil war victims in Uganda. All participants had been exposed to severe traumatic stress and 26 additionally suffered from PTSD.MethodIn an item cued, DF paradigm photographs were presented, each followed by an instruction to either remember or forget it. A recognition test for all initially presented photographs and thematically similar distracters followed. DF patterns were compared between the non-PTSD and the PTSD groups. Post-experimental ratings of picture valence and arousal were collected and correlated with DF.ResultsResults revealed DF, that is, reduced recognition for ‘to-be-forgotten’ items in the non-PTSD but not in the PTSD group. Moreover, in the non-PTSD, but not in the PTSD group, false alarms were reduced for ‘to-be-remembered’ items. Finally, DF was reduced in those participants who rated the pictures as more arousing, the PTSD group giving, on average, higher arousal ratings.ConclusionsData indicate that DF is reduced in PTSD and that the reduction is related to stimulus arousal. Furthermore, individuals with PTSD are characterized by a more global encoding style than individuals without PTSD, reflected in a higher false alarm rate. In sum, traumatized individuals with (but not without) PTSD are impaired in their ability to selectively control episodic memory encoding. This impairment may contribute to clinical features of the disorder such as intrusions and flashbacks.

scholarly journals Risk of PTSD Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Patients in Opioid Substitution Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabella Fuchs-Leitner ◽  
Kurosch Yazdi ◽  
Nikolas W. Gerstgrasser ◽  
Matthias G. Tholen ◽  
Sophie-Therés Graffius ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Opioid Substitution Treatment ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ptsd Group ◽  
Opioid Substitution

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of patients suffering from addictive disorders is of major concern. This study aimed to explore the presence and potential increase in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression, and anxiety since the beginning of the pandemic for patients in opioid substitution therapy (OST).Methods: This cross-sectional survey study evaluated a clinical sample of patients in OST (N = 123). Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the COVID-19 pandemic were assessed by an adapted version of the impact of event scale (IES-R), resulting in two subgroups of low and high risk for PTSD. The depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) was applied to collect data on the respective symptoms, and changes since the onset of the pandemic were reported on separate scales. Sociodemographic and COVID-19 related factors, as well as data on craving, consumption patterns, concomitant use, and the drug market were further assessed.Results: A binary logistic regression analysis confirmed the impact of self-perceived higher burden by psychological and economic factors on the elevated risk for PTSD due to the pandemic. The high-risk PTSD group also showed higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress, as well as a more pronounced deterioration in these symptoms since the pandemic. While reported levels of craving did not differ between the two groups, the high-risk PTSD group indicated a significantly higher increase in craving since the crisis, when compared to the low-risk group.Discussion: Our findings demonstrate elevated levels of clinical symptoms among patients in OST, with more than a quarter of patients found at risk for PTSD due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, about 30–50% of our patients reported concerning levels of depression, anxiety, or stress. Special attention should be drawn to these findings, and potential deterioration of the situation should be addressed by health care facilities. Particularly, psychological, and financial burden due to the crisis were identified as factors increasing the risk for PTSD. These factors can easily be evaluated during routine anamneses, and might be a valuable source of information, when special attention is needed.

scholarly journals Epigenetic biotypes of post-traumatic stress disorder in war-zone exposed veteran and active duty males

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruoting Yang ◽  
◽  
Aarti Gautam ◽  
Derese Getnet ◽  
Bernie J. Daigle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Future Utility ◽  
Ptsd Group

AbstractPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous condition evidenced by the absence of objective physiological measurements applicable to all who meet the criteria for the disorder as well as divergent responses to treatments. This study capitalized on biological diversity observed within the PTSD group observed following epigenome-wide analysis of a well-characterized Discovery cohort (N = 166) consisting of 83 male combat exposed veterans with PTSD, and 83 combat veterans without PTSD in order to identify patterns that might distinguish subtypes. Computational analysis of DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles identified two PTSD biotypes within the PTSD+ group, G1 and G2, associated with 34 clinical features that are associated with PTSD and PTSD comorbidities. The G2 biotype was associated with an increased PTSD risk and had higher polygenic risk scores and a greater methylation compared to the G1 biotype and healthy controls. The findings were validated at a 3-year follow-up (N = 59) of the same individuals as well as in two independent, veteran cohorts (N = 54 and N = 38), and an active duty cohort (N = 133). In some cases, for example Dopamine-PKA-CREB and GABA-PKC-CREB signaling pathways, the biotypes were oppositely dysregulated, suggesting that the biotypes were not simply a function of a dimensional relationship with symptom severity, but may represent distinct biological risk profiles underpinning PTSD. The identification of two novel distinct epigenetic biotypes for PTSD may have future utility in understanding biological and clinical heterogeneity in PTSD and potential applications in risk assessment for active duty military personnel under non-clinician-administered settings, and improvement of PTSD diagnostic markers.

scholarly journals PO-284 Aerobic Exercise Preconditioning Prevents Behavioral Deficits in an Ovariectomized Rat Model of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengyun Xiao ◽  
Luodan Yang ◽  
Chongyun Wu ◽  
Guangcong Peng ◽  
Ruimin Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Exercise Group ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Exercise Preconditioning ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Ptsd Group

Objective Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs in people who suffers reparative shocking, scary, or dangerous event. Evidences demonstrate that PTSD is associated with cognitive decline and depression. In the general population, women tend to show higher incidence of PTSD compared with men. Using the the ovariectomized rat model, the present work was designed to investigate the potential beneficial effect of aerobic exercise on the prevention of PTSD. Methods Adult Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into the following four groups (n = 8-10 in each group): 1) naïve control group; 2) ovariectomized group (OVX), 3) OVX with PTSD group (OVX + PTSD), 4) OVX + exercise group (OVX + Exe), and 5) OVX + PTSD + exercise (OVX + PTSD + Exe). For exercise pretreatment groups, the rats were subjected to 30 min of treadmill exercise (30 min/day, 5 days / week) for continuous 4 weeks. Open field test and elevated plus maze were used to measure behavioral changes from day 59 to day 66. Hippocampal levels of 17β-estradiol (E2) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level were measured. Results 1. Results of open field and elevated plus maze test revealed that OVX animals exposed to PTSD showed obvious anxiety-like behavior compared to OVX animals without exercise. Intriguingly, anxiety-like behavior in OVX + PTSD group was significantly improved by aerobic exercise pretreatment in ovariectomized animals after PTSD. 2. Hippocampal levels of E2 and BDNF levels in the OVX + Exe group were significantly increased after aerobic exercise compared to these from OVX without exercise group. Conclusions These findings demonstrated that aerobic exercise preconditioning can efficiently prevent anxiety-like behavior in the ovariectomized rats subjected to PTSD, a mechanism could be associate with the increased levels of E2 and BDNF induced by exercise treatment.

Tribulin in post-traumatic stress disorder

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 833-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Davidson ◽  
Vivette Glover ◽  
Angela Clow ◽  
H. Kudler ◽  
K. Meador ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor ◽  
Benzodiazepine Receptor ◽  
Oxidase Inhibitor ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Inhibitory Activities ◽  
Ptsd Group

SynopsisTribulin (endogenous monoamine oxidase inhibitor/benzodiazepine receptor binding inhibitor) output was measured in the urine of 18 patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 13 controls. The level of the two inhibitory activities was highly significantly correlated in the group as a whole. There was no difference between output of either inhibitor in patients and controls. However, when the PTSD group was subdivided according to various psychometric ratings, a pattern of output did emerge. Levels of both inhibitory activities were higher in agitated compared with non-agitated subjects, and lower in extroverts compared with introverts. This finding supports the view that tribulin output is raised in conditions of greater arousal.

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