PTSD News Articles

Brain Biomarkers Could Help Identify Those at Risk of Severe PTSD

January 30, 2019 • Press Release

This study has shed light on the neurocomputational contributions to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans, finding distinct patterns for how the brain and body respond to learning danger and safety depending on the severity of PTSD symptoms.

A Shorter—but Effective—Treatment for PTSD

August 8, 2018 • Science Update

Research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that a shorter therapy (written exposure therapy) may be just as effective as lengthier first-line treatments for PTSD.

 
Imaging Pinpoints Brain Circuits Changed by PTSD Therapy

July 18, 2017 • Science Update

Using brain imaging to track the effects of treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), scientists have identified a brain circuit on which a frequently used and effective psychotherapy (prolonged exposure) acts to quell symptoms. The findings help explain why the neural circuit identified is a promising target for additional treatment development, including brain stimulation therapies.

  Predicting Suicide Attempts and Suicide Deaths Using Electronic Health Records

July 12, 2018 • Science Update

Researchers have developed a new prediction model that substantially outperforms existing self-report tools used to predict an individual’s risk of a suicide attempt or dying by suicide.

 Brain’s Alertness Circuitry Conserved Through Evolution

November 2, 2017 • Press Release

Using a molecular method likely to become widely adopted by the field, researchers have discovered brain circuitry essential for alertness – and for brain states more generally.

NIMH-Funded Study to Track the Effects of Trauma

October 17, 2016 • Science Update

By carefully tracking 5,000 people after they have experienced a traumatic event, a just-launched NIMH-funded study aims to provide a finely detailed map of the array of factors that play a role in the development of mental disorders that occur in the wake of trauma.

 
Attention-Control Video Game Curbs Combat Vets’ PTSD Symptoms

July 24, 2015 • Science Update

A video game that implicitly taught combat vets that threatening stimuli are irrelevant to performing their task reduced their