ptsd Brain Damage From Ptsd?

[mysticcherokee usn vet]

I was wondering if anybody w/ ptsd has had a neurologist or ANY medical professional tell them that their ptsd is visible on images taken of the brain. Like mri, pet scan, cat scan, etc. If so did they indicate a degree of damage per year, or ANY span of time. Thats a good start, but Ive some other questions mebbe.. Thanks a bunch. Mystic

[john999]

There probably is a difference between the brains of people with PTSD and those without PTSD. To show that PTSD causes the brain damage you would have to explain just how this happens. What is the mechanism or chemical changes that take place that damage the brain? I lot of people with PTSD have TBI's but one does not cause the other. There is a third factor that may cause both things like being blown up by an IED. Also, many of those with PTSD may be long term or chronic users of drugs or alcohol to self medicate.

[Wings]

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Yes. MRI Scans show marked anomolies.

Search the NATIONAL CENTER for PTSD http://www.ptsd.va.gov/

PILOTS is produced by the National Center for PTSD, and is electronically available to the public. There is no charge for using the database, and no account or password is required. Although it is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the PILOTS database is not limited to literature on PTSD among Veterans. Search Pilots database http://csaweb109v.csa.com/ids70/quick_search.php?SID=hsdrsgju03bfqphgivuvcve9t1

Example

BACKGROUND: Neuroimaging research has demonstrated medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) hyporesponsivity and amygdala hyperresponsivity to trauma-related or emotional stimuli in PTSD. Relatively few studies have examined brain responses to the recollection of stressful, but trauma-unrelated, personal events in PTSD. In the current study, we sought to determine whether regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) abnormalities in mPFC and amygdala in PTSD could be observed during the recollection of trauma-unrelated stressful personal events.METHOD: Participants were 35 right-handed male combat veterans (MCVs) and female nurse veterans (FNVs) who served in Vietnam: 17 (seven male, 10 female) with current military-related PTSD and 18 (9 male, 9 female) with no current or lifetime PTSD. We used positron emission tomography (PET) and script-driven imagery to study rCBF during the recollection of trauma-unrelated stressful versus neutral and traumatic events.RESULTS: Voxelwise tests revealed significant between-group differences for the trauma-unrelated stressful versus neutral comparison in mPFC, specifically in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Functional region of interest (ROI) analyses demonstrated that this interaction in mPFC represented greater rCBF decreases in the PTSD group during trauma-unrelated stressful imagery relative to neutral imagery compared to the non-PTSD group. No differential amygdala activation was observed between groups or in either group separately.CONCLUSIONS: Veterans with PTSD, compared to those without PTSD, exhibited decreased rCBF in mPFC during mental imagery of trauma-unrelated stressful personal experiences. Functional neuroanatomical models of PTSD must account for diminished mPFC responses that extend to emotional stimuli, including stressful personal experiences that are not directly related to PTSD. [Author Abstract]KEY WORDS: anterior cingulate cortex; anxiety; emotion; neuroimaging; positron emission tomography; PTSD; script-driven imagery

[mysticcherokee usn vet]

I have all round cortical atrophy, the brain of an "Old person", and have been diagnosed "severe Ptsd, and overlap mdd",

I imagine a good neurpsychiatrist (I have one) could diffreintiate. At first mine thought it was drugs till he got to know me. ive never taken street drugs. Just trial and error meds with the fibro., still plenty.

Ive seen it somewhere that the degree of ptsd can be measured by the shrinkage, ie so much shrinkage=PER YEAR

I just wondered how prevalent this is amongst....us. Thanks to you both/all. Mystic

Feel free to post. Its no sin to have a shrunken brain! Thats my line of the day! HA!

Mystic says:its no sin to have a shrunken brain, LOL

Edited February 23, 2012 by mysticcherokee usn vet

[mysticcherokee usn vet]

I learned in psychology that the human natural responses of fight or flight kills a small amount of cellular levels in the brain, which a person has a set number. Can't quit remember what cellular name it was though.. But I would imagine if a person was always in that stimuli state of stress ect it doesn't help.

Boy youve got THAT RIGHT! LOL! Sorry bout the mess last night. I dont like bein called a liar, but everybody else is presumed to be telling the truth. Makes me feel ostracized, and hurts my feelings. However it was never my intention to have that mess goin.Okay MAN!lol! sincerely, Mystic

[Tbird]

this maybe of interest

[mysticcherokee usn vet]

Very Interesting. Thanks! I cant find 2/3 tho. I watched number one. Mystic