2-Minute Neuroscience: PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a disorder that develops after someone experiences a traumatic event; it involves a variety of intrusive symptoms related to the trauma. In this video, I discuss hypotheses about what might be going on in the brain to cause PTSD.

TRANSCRIPT:

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a condition that develops after someone experiences a traumatic event. It involves the occurrence of intrusive symptoms like nightmares or distressing memories that are linked to the trauma and may cause the person to feel like they are reliving aspects of the traumatic event. These symptoms also lead to the avoidance of things that remind a person of the trauma. PTSD may cause various other issues such as difficulty sleeping, negative emotions like fear, guilt, or sadness, trouble concentrating, and irritability.

Although the neurocircuitry underlying PTSD is still not completely clear, one supported hypothesis suggests that PTSD involves decreased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and increased activity in subnuclei of the amygdala that are involved in the identification of threats. According to this hypothesis, the medial prefrontal cortex normally acts to regulate amygdala function, inhibiting it when there is not an immediate threat to devote attention to. In an individual with PTSD, however, the amygdala might be hyperactive and provoke a fearful reaction in response to trauma-related stimuli. The medial prefrontal cortex fails to inhibit this unnecessary amygdala activation, causing patients to experience responses that are disproportionate to the threat that trauma-related stimuli currently pose.

Some patients with PTSD, however, also experience the suppression of emotions, which causes symptoms like social detachment and emotional numbness. This might be caused by an opposing mechanism where increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex dampens activity in regions such as the amygdala and other areas involved in emotional expression. Thus, the neuroscience of the disorder is complex and the neurocircuitry involved likely depends on the symptoms a particular patient displays. Additionally, more recent research has suggested a role for other networks that span larger areas of the brain in bringing about the symptoms of PTSD.

REFERENCES:

Rauch SL, Shin LM, Whalen PJ, Pitman RK. Neuroimaging and the Neuroanatomy of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. CNS Spectrums. 1998 July/August;3(7):31-41.

Yehuda R, Hoge CW, McFarlane AC, Vermetten E, Lanius RA, Nievergelt CM, Hobfoll SE, Koenen KC, Neylan TC, Hyman SE. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2015 Oct 8;1:15057. doi: 10.1038/nrdp.2015.57. PMID: 27189040.

[jimmiejackson]

No matter what YOU CAN overcome PTSD

It isn’t a shameful to have it but it is a mark of courage to ATTEMPT to CONQUER it !!!!


You got this go get ‘em good luck 🔥❤️

[stopworrying]

I have to also add that hippocampus also plays a major role, because the high level of stress decrease the activity of hippocampus and this stops communication between mediale prefrontal cortex. All these leads to a high level fear and stress in Amygdala, which leads to PTSD.

In short it is a disconnection between Amygdala, Hippocampus and PFC.

[tomtactom]

Well explained in 2 minutes. However, PTSD is much more complex than presented. There are different subvariants, e.g. with or without dissociation, in which the neurology is different. Also interesting is the effect of oxidative stress and hormone regulation (e.g. subtypes with too much and too little cortisol or the influence of too little serotonin). I would be happy if you publish more videos on PTSD.

[ParanormalPTSD]

Thanks. People need to know that trauma isn't a personal failing and that it can be overcome.

[wdln]

as someone that was diagnosed with PTSD, this was very informative thank you :)

[laughingmarbles]

I’m always amazed at how much you are able to say in two minutes. Another great video.

[ryana.]

Please never stop making videos!! I've learned so much from this channel it's not even funny. Neuroscience forever 🧠

[jessicarainey]

This is fr one of my favorite channels, I started watching it in my first semester of college to help with classes but now I watch it just for fun :, )

[FizzicalOreo]

Succinct, accurate, and well-explained — thank you! I'm certainly going to check out your other content now.

[aamirrazak]

Thank you for continuing to provide such high quality informative and educational content! It’s tragic that PTSD can so drastically affect the brain and it’s connections

[R.]

Please more videos on PTSD. Your videos are so informative and concise. Thank you🌻

[lorraine]

Yes, trauma changes the brain but so does healing 💯

[udznpwg]

I learned a lot about post-traumatic stress disorder. Thanks!

[EMlNENCJA]

…& I’m ordered to smile as I mean it, encircled by everpresent, constant triggers, forbidden from simply escaping.

Great idea, no flaws in this plan (:

[chelisue]

4th time watching and I think I might have gotten it all finally.

[JCA]

Social detachment and emotional numbness. This would probably explain why the majority of women I’ve dated in my lifetime always said “ I don’t feel a connection with you.” and I would have no clue what they were talking about.

[.]

I remember more from this than from reading the textbook

[slambangwallop]

It's interesting that dopamine is overactive in someone experiencing psychosis, and how the part of the brain that is largely responsible for dopaminergic activity is the nuclues accumbens, situated quite near to the amygdala. I wonder does the brain have a hard time differentiating between signals from the hippocampus (where memories are thought to be stored) and from auditory and visual processes (elsewhere) when fight or flight is activated. Perhaps the brain cannot cope with mixed signals, in the case of psychosis as potentially related to thought processing with forms of PTSD. At least, as someone who has experienced psychosis and studied it to a point, I have always thought it noteworthy that dopamine excitation would have to be at odds with fight or flight responses. Self - talk would be a lot more difficult if the brain is confused.

[lauraursachi]

As this explanation I think I might have ptsd I have exactly this lol

[AndrewBaker]

Hello,
Can you please make a 2 minute video explaining the neuroscience behind clothing sensory issues aka tactile defensiveness. Ever since I gone through puberty over a decade ago, I have been very limited in wardrobe and find the vast majority of clothing items to be insufferably uncomfortable. I pretty much live in gym shorts and a T shirt. For the life of me I just cannot seem to figure out why I’m like this.