Journal Article•
Concentration camp survivors in Denmark persecution, disease, disability, compensation. A 23-year follow-up. A survey of the long-term effects of severe environmental stress.
About: This article is published in Danish Medical Bulletin.The article was published on 1970-03-01 and is currently open access. It has received 98 citations till now.
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: The goal in the study of aging is not to halt the process, because the authors can no more be cured of aging than of birth, but to slow and soften the sharpest edges of the biological unraveling that constitutes aging.
Abstract: Over the past 5 yr, we have examined some of the sharpest edges of the pathology of aging. We have studied the capacity of aged organisms to respond appropriately to stress and the capacity of stre...
2,084 citations
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01 Jan 2002TL;DR: The possibility that experiences in the form of traumatic stressors can have long-term effects on the structure and function of the brain is introduced.
Abstract: Studies in animals showed that stress results in damage to the hippocampus, a brain area involved in learning and memory, with associated memory deficits. The mechanism involves glucocorticoids and possibly serotonin acting through excitatory amino acids to mediate hippocampal atrophy. Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from Vietnam combat and childhood abuse had deficits on neuropsychological measures that have been validated as probes of hippocampal function. In addition, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed reduction in volume of the hippocampus in both combat veterans and victims of childhood abuse. In combat veterans, hippocampal volume reduction was correlated with deficits in verbal memory on neuropsychological testing. These studies introduce the possibility that experiences in the form of traumatic stressors can have long-term effects on the structure and function of the brain.
682 citations
TL;DR: Preclinical investigations of the effects of stress on learning and memory processes suggest that fear conditioning, behavioral sensitization, and a failure of extinction may be important in the persistence and reexperiencing of traumatic memories and stressor sensitivity.
Abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an illness of considerable prevalence, often characterized by high morbidity, treatment resistance, and a chronic course. The core symptoms of PTSD include persistent reexperiencing of the traumatic event, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and autonomic hyperarousal. We propose several neurobiologic mechanisms that may account for these primary symptoms of PTSD. Preclinical investigations of the effects of stress on learning and memory processes suggest that fear conditioning, behavioral sensitization, and a failure of extinction may be important in the persistence and reexperiencing of traumatic memories and stressor sensitivity. The pathophysiology of PTSD may involve dysfunction of several brain structures, particularly the amygdala, locus coeruleus, and hippocampus, as well as noradrenergic, dopamine, opiate, and corticotropinreleasing factor neurochemical systems. Acutely, severe psychological trauma results in the parallel activation of these systems, producing an array of adaptive behavioral and physiologic responses necessary for survival. In PTSD, however,
589 citations
TL;DR: Findings suggest that symptoms of PTSD begin soon after exposure to trauma, that hyperarousal symptoms are the first symptoms to occur, that the natural course of alcohol and substance abuse parallels that of PTSD, and that specific substances have specific effects on PTSD symptoms.
Abstract: Objective : The purpose of this study was to measure the longitudinal course of specific symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related symptoms of alcohol and substance abuse and the effects of alcohol and substances on the symptoms of PTSD. Method : A structured interview for the assessment of PTSD and alcohol and substance abuse, as well as other factors such as life stressors and treatment, was administered to 61 Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD. Results : Onset of symptoms typically occurred at the time of exposure to combat trauma in Vietnam and increased rapidly during the first few years after the war. Symptoms plateaued within a few years after the war, following which the disorder became chronic and unremitting. Hyperarousal symptoms such as feeling on guard and feeling easily startled developed first, followed by avoidant symptoms and finally by symptoms from the intrusive cluster. The onset of alcohol and substance abuse typically was associated with the onset of symptoms of PTSD, and the increase in use paralleled the increase of symptoms. Patients reported a tendency for alcohol, marijuana, heroin, and benzodiazepines to make PTSD symptoms better, while cocaine made symptoms in the hyperarousal category worse. There was no relationship between treatment interventions and the natural course of PTSD. Conclusions : These findings suggest that symptoms of PTSD begin soon after exposure to trauma, that hyperarousal symptoms are the first symptoms to occur, that the natural course of alcohol and substance abuse parallels that of PTSD, and that specific substances have specific effects on PTSD symptoms.
527 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that long-term treatment with paroxetine is associated with improvement of verbal declarative memory deficits and an increase in hippocampal volume in PTSD.
454 citations
Cites background from "Concentration camp survivors in Den..."
...The alterations varied from selfreported difficulties in memory (Thygesen et al 1970) to impairments of verbal declarative memory (Bremner et al 1993a, 1995b; Gilbertson et al 2001; Jenkins et al 1998; Moradi et al 1999; Sutker et al 1991; Uddo et al 1993; Yehuda et al 1995)....
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