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By Charlene Rubush, April 29, 2011 12:34 pm

Progress is being made in understanding how Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affects the brain. And with that understanding, come better treatments.

Today I came across an interesting article by Rick Nauert Ph.D. Posted on PsychCentral on November 1, 2010, he writes that researchers have discovered a correlation between increased activity among brain circuits and flashbacks among individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

This is considered to be a major scientific and medical discovery. The findings are something conventional brain scans such as an X-ray, CT, or MRI have failed to demonstrate.The research was led by Apostolos Georgopolos, M.D., Ph.D. and Brian Engdahl Ph.D., both members of the Brain Sciences Center at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and the University of Minnesota.

The researchers used a technique called Magnetoencephaloraphy (MEG). It is a non-invasive measurement of magnetic fields in the brain.

Some major points of the study are:

•  MEG tests revealed differences between signals in the temporal and parieto-occipital right hemispheres of the brain among those with PTSD. 
•  MEG tests show a clear difference in activity among the circuitry in the brains of PTSD sufferers in comparison to those without the condition. 
• Besides diagnosing those with PTSD, the researchers are able to judge the severity of a patient’s suffering.

The trial involved 80 subjects with confirmed PTSD following military service in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.

 To read the full article go to:

 http://www.psychcentral.com/news/2010/11/01/new-findings-on-ptsd-and-brain-activity/20338.h…

 Note:

This certainly seems to be a much-improved, more definitive way to diagnose PTSD. The CAPPS interview process has been used for many years, and has its limitations.