Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Prevalence 3.6-8.0% of U.S. adults
May occur at any age; triggered by trauma
Women more likely affected
Minority groups have much higher rates of PTSD than do non-Hispanic white persons
30% of the men and women who have spent time in the war zones

Pathophysiology
Reduced hippocampal volume among those exposed to combat trauma, sexual assault, or MVA's

Increased regional cerebral blood flow to limbic and paralimbic areas esp. right amygdala, decreased blood flow to Broca's area in the left temporal lobe

Sympathetic nervous system activation
Autonomic hyperresponsiveness to both neutral and trauma-related stimuli
Elevated urinary catecholamine levels
Downregulation of beta- and alpha-2 adrenergic receptors
Increased reactivity to the alpha-2 antagonist, yohimbine
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical mobilization

Lower urinary cortisol levels

Elevated lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptor......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Approximate Word Count: 980
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!