Smaller Hippocampal Volume Predicts Pathologic Vulnerability to Psychological Trauma
- Topics:
- Healthcare Services
- Tags:
- Security,
- Trauma,
- Volume,
- Vulnerability
- Source:
- Nature Publishing Group
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Overview: In animals, exposure to severe stress can damage the hippocampus. Recent human studies show smaller hippocampal volume in individuals with the stress-related psychiatric condition posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Does this represent the neurotoxic effect of trauma, or is smaller hippocampal volume a pre-existing condition that renders the brain more vulnerable to the development of pathological stress responses? In monozygotic twins discordant for trauma exposure, they found evidence that smaller hippocampi indeed constitute a risk factor for the development of stress-related psychopathology.
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Format: PDF | Size: 223KB | Date: Oct 2002 | Pages: 6
