Post Traumatic Stress Disorder News and Research

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Researchers uncover link between adult opioid misuse and childhood emotional abuse

A study by researchers at the University of Vermont has revealed a link between adult opioid misuse and childhood emotional abuse, a new finding that suggests a rethinking of treatment approaches for opioid abusers.

14 Mar 2017

Research points to critical role of stress hormone in emergence of PTSD among soldiers

Up to 20 percent of U.S. veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan developed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder from trauma experienced during wartime, but new neuroscience research from The University of Texas at Austin suggests some soldiers might have a hormonal predisposition to experience such stress-related disorders.

7 Mar 2017

Head injuries can harm hundreds of genes to increase risk for severe brain disorders

Head injuries can harm hundreds of genes in the brain in a way that increases people's risk for a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, UCLA life scientists report.

6 Mar 2017

Study of U.S. Navy healthcare personnel finds higher PTSD risk among women than men

A study of U.S. Navy healthcare personnel has shown that when comparing the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women and men who had similar deployment experiences, and especially combat experience, the risk of PTSD was significantly higher among women.

2 Mar 2017

Dietary prebiotics can improve sleep after stress exposure, study suggests

In recent years, reams of research papers have shed light on the health benefits of probiotics, the "good bacteria" found in fermented foods and dietary supplements.

24 Feb 2017

Adolescents with PTSD, conduct disorders more likely to misidentify facial expressions

Adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are more likely to misidentify sad and angry faces as fearful, while teens with symptoms of conduct disorder tend to interpret sad faces as angry, finds a study by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

21 Feb 2017

Study: Post-deployment screening not effective in reducing mental health disorders in UK Armed Forces personnel

A trial testing a potential post-deployment screening programme for UK Armed Forces personnel, based on a computerised assessment and tailored mental health advice, found it was not effective in reducing symptoms of mental health disorders or encouraging personnel to seek help, compared to the general mental health advice which is the standard of care in the UK military.

20 Feb 2017

TSRI scientists describe how key molecules in the brain work together to trigger intense anxiety

In a new study, researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have described how two important molecules in the brain work together to trigger intense anxiety.

13 Feb 2017

Gene that helps form trauma-related memories can be manipulated to prevent PTSD, study finds

A specific gene that helps form memories from traumatic events can be manipulated -- and in doing so may actually help prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study led NYU Langone Medical Center that recently published in Neuropharmacology.

13 Feb 2017

PTSD and AUD more common among American Indian and Alaskan-Natives than non-Hispanic Whites

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after a traumatic event or events. Although it is most often associated with military personnel exposed to the trauma of combat, it can also disproportionately affect vulnerable American Indian and Alaskan-Native (AI/AN) populations.

28 Jan 2017

UAB researchers discover novel underlying mechanism involved in anxiety disorders, PTSD

University of Alabama at Birmingham neurobiologist Lynn Dobrunz, Ph.D., has discovered a novel mechanism for how stress-induced anxiety — the type of experience that can produce post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD — affects circuit function in the hippocampus, the area of the brain where aversive memories are formed.

24 Jan 2017

Vagus nerve stimulation may hold potential to reduce drug cravings, study shows

A new preclinical study led by a University of Texas at Dallas researcher shows that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy might have the potential to help people overcome drug addiction by helping them learn new behaviors to replace those associated with seeking drugs.

24 Jan 2017

Novel noninvasive method precisely tweaks brain activity in rats using ultrasound pulses

Biomedical engineers at Johns Hopkins report they have worked out a noninvasive way to release and deliver concentrated amounts of a drug to the brain of rats in a temporary, localized manner using ultrasound.

23 Jan 2017

BUSM researchers move one step closer to understanding brain changes linked to PTSD

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and the VA Boston Healthcare System are one step closer to understanding the specific nature of brain changes associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

23 Jan 2017

New research provides insight into how estrogen modulates fear learning

Low estrogen levels may make women more susceptible to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some points in their menstrual cycles or lifetimes, while high estrogen levels may be protective.

19 Jan 2017

Study reveals brain activity may be key to link between stress and heart disease

Increased activity in a deep-lying region of the brain called the amygdala is associated with a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a study published in The Lancet. The amygdala is known to process emotions such as fear and anger and the finding sheds light on the possible mechanism by which stress can lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD), say the study authors.

12 Jan 2017

Alcohol strengthens emotional memories linked to fearful experiences, study shows

Experiments in mice by researchers at Johns Hopkins suggest that if the goal is to ease or extinguish fearful emotional memories like those associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol may make things worse, not better.

10 Jan 2017

Study finds high mental health impact after Great East Japan Earthquake

The devastating 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and resulting nuclear disaster in Japan had a high mental health impact—with some effects persisting several years later, according to a comprehensive research review in the January/February issue of the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, published by Wolters Kluwer.

10 Jan 2017

Witnessing fear in others may change how information flows in the brain, study finds

Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have discovered that observing fear in others may change how information flows in the brain.

4 Jan 2017

Acute stress can lead to delayed, long-term psychological trauma

Mrs. M would never forget that day. She was walking along a busy road next to the vegetable market when two goons zipped past on a bike. One man's hand shot out and grabbed the chain around her neck.

30 Dec 2016