Guest Post by Dr. Beatriz Perez-Sweeney
I was watching the old war movie Patton the other day with my husband. In it, a patient experiencing post-traumatic stress was in the trauma room, on a hospital bed. General Patton angrily approached the patient and shamed him for taking up a bed that should be used for people with missing limbs, people who have suffered a ‘real’ injury. The conversation went like this:
Patton: What’s the matter with you?
Soldier Who Gets Slapped: Well, I… I guess I… I can’t take it anymore.
Patton: What did you say?
Soldier Who Gets Slapped: It’s my nerves, sir. I… I just can’t stand the shelling anymore.
Patton: Your nerves? Well, hell, you’re nothing but a God-damned coward.
While watching, I was reminded of how people have generally viewed and continue to view psychological trauma– as something far from an injury.
On the contrary, scientists are finding that extreme traumatic experiences may cause a form of injury to the brain. This month’s Human Science Bulletins at the American Museum of Natural History focuses on recent findings that show possible brain changes from traumatic and stressful experiences.
We know that emotional stress induces a clear biological response in our body and brain. When we are exposed to stress, a part of our brain called the hypothalamus releases a chemical signal that triggers the pituitary gland at the base of our skull to release another chemical, which travels down to the adrenal glands (located on top of our kidneys). The adrenal glands then release the hormone cortisol, which enters the blood stream and travels to the brain.
Now for more bio-shop talk. Once cortisol reaches our brain, the hippocampus (the part of the brain most associated with memory) gets rid of it. However, our hippocampus may stop clearing cortisol if it’s exposed to too much of it. The resulting high and sustained level of cortisol can kill hippocampal cells and may even shrink the size of the hippocampus.
Scientists have found evidence of damage to the hippocampus in soilders that have suffered extreme traumatic disorder. In a more recent study led by Dr. Victor Carrion’s team at Standford University’s Early Life Stress Research Program, children exposed to extreme stress seem to suffer impaired hippocampus activity as explained in the American Museum of Natural History, Human Bulletin’s news release .
The possible damage to the hippocampus that scientists are finding is akin to a broken bone that, unlike a broken bone, is invisible to members of society (you can’t put a brain “part” in a cast). But science is now allowing us to see with our own eyes the injury that post-traumatic stress and extreme emotional stress may inflict on the brain.
This area of the brain is one of the most flexible brain regions and the good news is that it is known to regenerate new cells and recover. As scientist get closer to understanding how extreme stress and psychological trauma affects brain structure and function, they hope to find therapies (medicinal and psychological) that can help repair this part of brain.
Bio: Beatriz Perez-Sweeney became a geneticist because she couldn’t stop wondering how four basic chemical units called nucleotides could essentially define life. With a love of nature, genetics and health, she first researched lion tamarin monkey evolution and conservation, then moved into immunologicalgenetic evolution and health in primates. Why the primates focus? Aside from logical reasons, when she was a kid she dreamed about having monkey children, much to her mother’s concern.She is dedicated to both research and education (with entrepreneurial activity). She enjoys spending her “spare” time outdoors with friends, husband and buoyant boys, who aren’t monkeys (though some may argue otherwise), but barrels of fun.
