PTSD Alters Brain's Processing of Traumatic Memories, Study Finds

Overview

• New research indicates that traumatic memories in PTSD patients are processed differently in the brain compared to sad memories, with distinct neural patterns in the hippocampus and posterior cingulate cortex.
• The study, conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Yale University, examined real-life personal memories of PTSD patients, linking personal experience to brain function.
• When recalling traumatic memories, the brain appears to process them as present experiences rather than past events.
• The more severe the PTSD symptoms, the more activity appeared in the posterior cingulate cortex, a brain region usually involved in internally directed thought.
• The findings suggest new treatment approaches for PTSD focusing on altering the brain’s processing of traumatic memories.