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Researchers Identify Part Of Brain Tied To PTSD

November 4, 2010 - Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research is a very popular topic in research today. Because of the many nuances of PTSD, there are seemingly limitless avenues in which to focus research. A new study has produced some very promising suggestions toward understanding PTSD itself. Researchers have possibly discovered a small part of the brain that could unlock the gears that drive PTSD in the brain.

The Minneapolis Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center gave brain scans to patients suffering from PTSD. They found strange activity in section of the brain associated with a person's memory. These are the same sets of researchers who previously produced a scan capable of identifying PTSD in people with an accuracy of 95%.

Essentially, the researchers took measurements of magnetic fields in the brains of people suffering from PTSD. Their test subjects consisted of 80 patients with PTSD and 18 recovering from PTSD. Their images were then compared to the images of 284 subjects without PTSD. Researchers used a machine that basically measures neuron signals on the surface of the brain as they are happening.

In the patients confirmed with PTSD, those signals were occurring at a much higher rate than they should have been. Also, they were happening in the part of their brain associated with memory even when it was not being engaged. Patients then stared at a dot for 60 seconds. The result was very evident "over-connectivity" in the memory area of the brain. This matches exactly what people with PTSD complain of: troubled memories haunting them.

The research team plans on eventually focusing their efforts on veterans with traumatic brain injuries. To date, though, they have focused their efforts on helping veterans with PTSD.