Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often brings to mind soldiers who have seen action in war, or survivors of accidents. But what happens to those who witness others going through traumatic experiences?
Military veterans, first responders, and even bystanders make up 10 percent of PTSD cases. New research from Virginia Tech sheds light on this often-overlooked group.
The experts found that observing trauma causes unique changes in the brain. These differ from changes seen in people who directly experience trauma. This discovery may lead to improved and more specific treatments for PTSD in those who are indirectly affected.
“Currently, patients with directly acquired PTSD and bystander PTSD are treated the same way – with a combination of therapy and medication,” said Timothy Jarome, the project’s principal investigator and associate professor of neurobiology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences .
“Our research suggests that indirect trauma and direct trauma create different biological responses, which could mean they require different treatment strategies that target distinct brain pathways.” Observation can also harm the brain
Professor Jarome has long studied memory-related disorders such as PTSD and dementia. His interest in bystander PTSD began after the 2021 Miami condominium collapse. He noticed that even people who saw the tragedy from afar showed symptoms like insomnia and anxiety.
“People who saw it from across the street reported that they were suffering from nightmares, insomnia, and anxiety ,” noted Professor Jarome.
“They were showing symptoms of PTSD, but didn’t go through it or have any connection to the people in the building. We sought out to understand the brain mechanisms behind how that occurred.”
To explore this, Jarome’s team focused on three main brain regions that are linked to fear memory: the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and retrosplenial cortex. They examined how trauma changed proteins in these areas.The findings confirmed that indirect trauma triggers different patterns in protein degradation in these three brain areas than direct trauma does. PTSD from trauma differs by gender The researchers also discovered gender-based differences in how brains process indirect trauma. Past work by Jarome’s lab had linked the K-63 ubiquitin protein to PTSD in women. This […]
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