Improve The Treatment Of PTSD Can Be Through The Amygdala

Improve The Treatment Of PTSD Can Be Through The Amygdala.
Researchers who have deliberate a piece with a missing amygdala - the part of the brain believed to form fear - report that their findings may help improve treatment for post-traumatic ictus disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders. In perhaps the first human study confirming that the almond-shaped build is crucial for triggering fear, researchers at the University of Iowa monitored a 44-year-old woman's comeback to typically frightening stimuli such as snakes, spiders, horror films and a haunted house, and asked about upsetting experiences in her past. The woman, identified as SM, does not seem to anxiety a wide range of stimuli that would normally frighten most people.

Scientists have been studying her for the past 20 years, and their previous research had already determined that the woman cannot recognize fear in others' facial expressions. SM suffers from an hellishly rare disease that destroyed her amygdala. Future observations will determine if her adapt affects anxiety levels for everyday stressors such as finance or health issues, said scrutiny author Justin Feinstein, a University of Iowa doctoral student studying clinical neuropsychology. "Certainly, when it comes to fear, she's missing it," Feinstein said. "She's so single in her presentation".

Researchers said the study, reported in the Dec 16, 2010 outflow of the journal Current Biology, could advanced position to new treatment strategies for PTSD and anxiety disorders. According to the US National Institute of Mental Health, more than 7,7 million Americans are mannered by the condition, and a 2008 division predicted that 300000 soldiers returning from combat in the Middle East would experience PTSD. "Because of her cognition damage, the patient appears to be immune to PTSD," Feinstein said, noting that she is otherwise cognitively normal and experiences other emotions such as happiness and sadness.

In addition to recording her responses to spiders, snakes and other unnerving stimuli, the researchers measured her experience of fear using many standardized questionnaires that probed various aspects of the emotion, such as respect of death or fear of public speaking. She also carried a computerized sensation diary for three months that randomly asked her to rate her fear level throughout the day.