An extremely recent article in the journal, Hippocampus, makes the simple observation that, according to recent medical research, trauma appears to shrink the size of the brain's hippocampus, a center linked (not surprisingly) to emotions and memory, thought to be part of the limbic system. This is good news, because it's always helpful if psychological topics such as trauma and PTSD can be shown to correspond to organic changes in phyisology: it gives them more credibility to the nay-sayers, of whom there are far too many. The article itself is linked here.
According to MedicineNet.com, "The hippocampus is an area buried deep in the forebrain that helps regulate emotion and memory. Functionally, the hippocampus is part of the olfactory cortex, that part of the cerebral cortex essential to the sense of smell. Certain antidepressants (such as fluoxetine, or Prozac) influence the birth of new neurons in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is so-called because its shape suggests that of a seahorse. From the Greek hippos (horse) = kampos (a sea monster)."
The full citation of the journal article, for further study, is this:
AU: Fu L. Woon, Dawson W. Hedges
TI: Hippocampal and amygdala volumes in children and adults with childhood maltreatment-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analysis
SO: Hippocampus
VL: 18
NO: 8
PG: 729-736
YR: 2008
CP: Copyright © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
ON: 1098-1063
PN: 1050-9631
AD: Department of Psychology, 1001 SWKT, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602; Neuroscience Center, 1001 SWKT, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
DOI: 10.1002/hipo.20437
US: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hipo.20437
