Not all people with PTSD experience the same symptoms or have the exact same pattern of brain changes.
These structures include:
PTSD causes the hyper-activation of some brain structures while other areas become hypoactive.
Both the amygdala and the mid-anterior cingulate cortex become over-stimulated when a person has PTSD.
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This region of the brain plays an important part in PTSD.
The dorsolateral PFCmodulates decision-making and working memory.
Working memory actively holds transitory information before it becomes part of thelong-term memoryduringmemory consolidation.
It also modulates emotion and decision-making.
The Hippocampus
The hippocampus helps regulate smell, spatial coding, and memory.
This process of turning short-term memory into long-term memory is what is referred to as memory consolidation.
The Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus
The right inferior frontal gyrus is involved in modulating risk aversion.
Studies show thattranscranial magnetic stimulation(TMS) of this brain region may reduce some risk-taking behavior.
Think of the amygdala as the alarm that sounds when something poses a danger.
This alarm prepares your body to respond, either by dealing with or getting away from the threat.
Approximately 6.8% of all adults will experience this condition at some point in their lives.
Hypervigilance
The amygdala’s overactivity presents as symptoms of hypervigilance and an exaggerated startle response.
As a result, people with PTSD experience symptoms of hypervigilance.
They become overly aroused and are on high alert, which can make it hard to relax and sleep.
Such treatments target many of the cognitive and emotional symptoms of PTSD, and may include psychotherapy or medication.
Other medications that may be prescribed off-label includeProzac(fluoxetine) andEffexor(venlafaxine).
Other promising treatments includevirtual reality exposure therapy,ketamine infusion therapy, andMDMA-assisted therapy.
Fitzgerald JM, DiGangi JA, Phan KL.Functional neuroanatomy of emotion and its regulation in PTSD.Harv Rev Psychiatry.
2018;347:1-7. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2018.02.047
National Institute of Mental Health.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
2018;9(1):1458568.
Published 2018 May 18. doi:10.1080/20008198.2018.1458568
