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Sensory alterations in post-traumatic stress disorder
Leland L Fleming1, Nathaniel G Harnett1, Kerry J Ressler1
1Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|December 14, 2023
Summary
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves altered sensory processing. This review highlights how sensory brain region changes, including structure and function, impact PTSD symptom severity and threat evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Sensory Processing
Background:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to impaired threat evaluation of sensory stimuli.
- Canonical fear circuitry is studied, but sensory processing's role in PTSD needs more emphasis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the importance of sensory processing in PTSD.
- To examine structural and functional characteristics of sensory brain regions in PTSD.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent findings on PTSD and sensory processing.
- Analysis of studies linking PTSD to behavioral aspects of sensory processing.
- Examination of neuroimaging data (gray/white matter structure, functional imaging) in sensory regions.
Main Results:
- Variability in sensory processing regions strongly correlates with PTSD symptom severity.
- PTSD is associated with structural alterations in gray and white matter within sensory brain areas.
- Brain activity in sensory regions, via functional imaging, provides insights into PTSD symptomology.
Conclusions:
- Sensory processing is crucial for understanding PTSD.
- Structural and functional brain changes in sensory regions are key features of PTSD.
- Further research into sensory processing mechanisms can inform PTSD conceptualization and treatment.
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