PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder caused by traumatic events that can affect anyone. It can cause impairment in functioning and changes in brain structure and memory. Treatment may include medication and psychotherapy. PTSD affects memory formation, processing, and recall, and can cause symptoms such as insomnia, hyper-vigilance, and flashbacks. The amygdala and hippocampus are affected, and cortisol levels are increased. Treatment can include medication and therapy, and many people make a full recovery.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe type of anxiety that arises following a traumatic event. Treatment may require a combination of psychotherapeutic methods and drugs. The disorder can cause significant impairment in functioning, as well as physiological changes in the structure and function of the brain, and this can have a complex effect on memory formation, processing and recall.
Once known as bullet shock, PTSD is commonly associated with soldiers who have been through combat situations. In fact, the disorder can strike anyone after a traumatic event involving a perceived threat to one’s physical or psychological integrity. Possible traumatic events associated with PTSD also include rape, chronic illness, physical or psychological abuse, and natural disasters. A form of anxiety disorder, PTSD is linked to a number of symptoms, such as insomnia, hyper-vigilance, hyper-arousal, flashbacks of the traumatic event, and persistent avoidance of any stimuli that may be related to the trauma. Feelings of isolation, numbness, or anger may also be experienced.
Intense fear activates the sympathetic nervous system into action, and this releases hormones and chemicals to prepare the body for a fight or flight response. This process also activates the amygdala, part of the brain’s limbic system, which is involved in processing memories related to emotional reactions. Emotionally charged memories are easily accessible for recall. Persistent reliving of trauma and heightened emotional memories of traumatic events are characteristic of PTSD. Fragmented memory of trauma is one possible effect of PTSD on memory.
The effects of PTSD on memory are complex. Medical studies indicate that severe psychological trauma can cause physiological changes in the brain. The medial prefrontal cortex is thought to play a role in short-term memory. It also has a regulatory and inhibitory action on unsuitable emotions, behaviors and thought patterns. This area of the brain appears to be impaired in PTSD. The amygdala is linked to the consolidation of memories, especially those related to fear, and learned fear responses. This structure is activated in post-traumatic stress disorder, eliciting and reinforcing fear conditioning to a stimulus.
Cortisol is a hormone produced by the body in response to stress. PTSD sufferers coping with stressful situations typically release more cortisol than their healthy counterparts. The hippocampus is a brain structure associated with long-term memory and is highly vulnerable to excess cortisol. Research shows that the hippocampus loses volume in some people with chronic PTSD. It is unclear whether this is irreversible, but it can negatively affect learning and memory formation.
Sufferers often experience the multifaceted effects of PTSD on memory. Antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications are sometimes used to help improve symptom control and reduce the impact of PTSD on memory recall associated with traumatic events and the formation of new memories. Other treatments may include cognitive behavioral therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. A large percentage of PTSD survivors make a full recovery with treatment.
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