Upcoming Medical Conference on PTSD for Military Healthcare Providers

The fourth annual "Amygdala, Stress and PTSD Conference" will be held Tuesday, April 29, 2008, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., in the Sanford Auditorium at the Uniformed Services University, in Bethesda, Maryland.  The conference, which is co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University, is part of a series of conferences that "have brought together scientists and clinicians working towards solving the biologcal basis of post traumatic stress disorder. The conferences have focused on the neurobiology of the amygdala and stress and ptsd and have included speakers at the forefront of their fields," according to conference material.  To learn more about who's speaking at the conference, and their topics, click here.  To register for the conference, click here.

Editor's Note: the amygdala is a portion of the brain defined this way: "The amygdala is located in the middle of the brain, this almond shaped complex of related nuclei is a critical processor area for the senses. Connected to the hippocampus, it plays a role in emotionally laden memories. It contains a huge number of opiate receptor sites implicated in rage, fear and sexual feelings. It is part of the limbic system." (Source: "The Glossary of Brain Terminology.")

This year's conference topics and speakers will include:

• "Mechanism of Lasting Change in Anxiety Produced by Severe Stress in Animals" -- Robert Adamec - Memorial University - Canada;
• "Role of NMDA Receptors in Fear Extinction: Implications for PTSD Therapy" -- Michael Davis - Emory University, GA;
• "Neurotrophic Actions of Stress and Antidepressant Treatment" -- Ron Duman, Yale University;
• 'Amygdala, Stress and the Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Disorders -- Anthony Grace -- University of Pittsburgh, PA
• "Different Effects of Early Exposure and Cognitive Therapies on Fear and Avoidance" -- Arieh Shalev - Hadassah University - Israel
• "The Ontogeny of Fear and the Amygdala" -- Regina Sullivan - University of Oklahoma, OK

Further information may be obtained by contacting the Conference directly:

The Amygdala Conference
4301 Jones Bridge Rd
Bethesda, MD 20814
Info@AmygdalaConference.org