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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Assessing Changes in Synaptic Plasticity Using an Awake Closed-Head Injury Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: January 20, 2023
Posttraumatic stress disorder, flashbacks, and pseudomemories in closed head injury
1School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract:
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is rarely diagnosed in patients with significant head injury. This paper reviews two patients who were amnesic for events surrounding their motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) but developed delayed-onset PTSD. Symptoms included vivid images of the MVAs that were based on information learnt following the trauma. These cases indicate that amnesic head injured patients can suffer pseudomemories that are phenomenologically similar to flashbacks observed in PTSD. Implications for understanding the nature of flashbacks are discussed.
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