Fear Circuitry, Dysphoric PTSD Symptoms May Become More Strongly Connected As Time Passes After Traumatic Injury, Study Indicates

Healio (12/19, Oldt) reports, “Fear circuitry and dysphoric PTSD symptoms became more strongly connected as time passed after traumatic injury,” researchers concluded after conducting “a prospective cohort study of 1,138 individuals recently admitted with traumatic injury to major trauma hospitals across Australia.” The findings were published online Dec. 14 in JAMA Psychiatry. The author of an accompanying editorial observed, “Intrusions and physiological reactivity to reminders of the trauma scored high on centrality metrics, indicating that activation of these two symptoms are especially likely to activate other symptoms in the network,” whereas “successful early intervention targeting these symptoms would likely prevent the full syndrome of PTSD from emerging.”

Related Links:

— “Links between fear circuitry, PTSD symptoms strengthen over time,”Amanda Oldt, Healio, December 19, 2016.

Posted in In The News.