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Salt Lake Community College

The Neurological Effect of PTSD in Combat Veterans

Haley Rosenvall

PSYC 1010

Instructor Michael Steele

2 August 2017
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The Neurological Effect of PTSD in Combat Veterans

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can be developed for many different reasons. It may be

caused by child abuse, a near death experience, sex assault, and rape. It is commonly found in

combat war veterans because of the bloodshed and traumas they witness and are involved in. The

topic I have decided to research is the neurological effect post-traumatic stress disorder has on

combat veterans. It is important to educate ourselves on such a topic so we can spread awareness

on what our veterans are going through so we can make their transition from the battlefield, back

home smoother. My goal of this research essay is to thoroughly understand the effect PTSD has

on combat veterans and to educate others on the topic. Throughout this essay I will share the

research I have found. The first being what exactly is post-traumatic stress disorder. Second, how

post-traumatic stress disorders changes the brain. Third, the statistics of combat veterans with

post-traumatic stress disorder. And lastly, the neurological effect it plays on combat veterans.

During one of our class discussions, we were taught about mental disorders. The

psychology definition of post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder characterized by chronic

physiological arousal, recurrent unwanted thoughts or images of the trauma, and avoidance of

things that call the traumatic event to mind. On that same slide, we learn that 12% of U.S.

veterans of recent operations in Iraq met criteria for PTSD after their tour. PTSD is often referred

to as the invisible wound. Our veterans may return home without physical wounds, but there has

been scars left on the inside and on their mind.

So how does post-traumatic stress disorder change the brain? While doing research, I

found an article by J. Douglas Bremner, an M.D., titled Traumatic Stress: Effects on the Brain.

He explains that when a person experiences traumatic stress, it effects three major parts of the

brain which include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Bremner states,
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Traumatic stress is associated with increased cortisol and norepinephrine responses to

subsequent stressors. Antidepressants have effects on the hippocampus that counteract the effects

of stress. If an individual experiences traumatic stress early on in life, it is important that they

find effective help as it can eventually lead to PTSD. With traumatic stress disorder, it is difficult

to find the exact treatment necessary because we do not have all the information behind the

neurobiological mechanisms that relate to PTSD. Bremner goes on to explain that when it comes

to understanding the neurological effect PTSD has on the brain, we need to understand the

development of the brain which we discussed in chapter three. It is crucial to know what stage of

life the person who experienced the trauma was in because that will determine what way it

effects the brain. Bremner later goes on saying, Stress results in acute and chronic changes in

neurochemical systems and specific brain regions, which result in long-term changes in brain

circuits, involved in the stress response.

This brings to me another article called How Does Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Change the Brain? by Viatcheslav Wlassoff. He says that war veterans with PTSD may have

difficulty expressing themselves and forming new relationships because they are afraid of

growing close to someone. Some people believe PTSD to be something they can get over, but it

fundamentally changes the brain. They may have flash backs of the traumatic experience they

were in. Veteran patients with PTSD have reduced volume in the hippocampus, which is the spot

in the brain that holds our memory functions. The emotional state of change occurs in the

prefrontal cortex and amygdala. The prefrontal cortex regulates how a patient will respond to

emotions and the amygdala is for processing those emotions. When a combat veteran

experiences a situation or views a photo that reminds him of those traumatic times, his amygdala
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will become hyperactive. Because of the hyperactivity they may have a panic attack, show

anxiety and have stress symptoms.

When it comes to the statistics of how many combat veterans have PTSD, it is hard to pin

point. There are many factors that play a part and PTSD may not even develop or by observed

until twenty years after combat battle. According to the website

http://www.veteransandptsd.com/PTSD-statistics.html, four out of five Vietnam combat veterans

have PTSD. With that being said, post-traumatic stress disorder has led to depression and suicide

in our countrys combat veterans and half of them do not seek help for their PTSD. On this

website, it also states that RAND shows 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have developed

PTSD or depression.

Leading us to the last article I researched, which is found on the website called

https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/reintegration/overview-mental-health-

effects.asp. This website explains that those who serve our country are up close and personal

with death and know that they are at risk for injury and death. They may have to take someones

life or call in air strikes to do so. They see thing that the rest of us cannot even wrap our minds

around. They are away from family members and friends for a long period of time which can

also add stress. Along with the possibility of MST (Military sexual trauma), towards men or

women. All of these factors are what causes some veterans to develop PTSD.

After doing all of this research it is obvious that post-traumatic stress disorder is a very

serious, and real disorder. It is a topic that is constantly being studied to see its effects on the

brain and what we can do to improve the symptoms. Overall, we know that there are three major

parts of the brain that are responsible for memories and emotions the prefrontal cortex, the

amygdala and the hippocampus. Those are the main places of the brain the neurologically effect
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combat veterans with PTSD. Once a combat veteran experiences something that can cause

traumatic stress, such as a death or injury, it changes the way your brain thinks and

communicates with other parts of the brain. The more we come to understand the way PTSD

neurobiology changes the brain, the better the solutions will become.
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Work Cited

Bremner, J. Douglas. "Traumatic Stress: Effects on the Brain." Dialogues in Clinical

Neuroscience. Les Laboratoires Servier, 8 Dec. 2006. Web. 27 July 2017.

"PTSD: National Center for PTSD." Mental Health Effects of Serving in Afghanistan and Iraq -

PTSD: National Center for PTSD. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 01 Jan. 2007. Web. 27

July 2017.

Veterans statistics: PTSD, Depression, TBI, Suicide. Veterans and PTSD. September 20, 2015.

Web. [month, day, year accessed.] www.veteransandptsd.com/PTSD-statistics.html

Wlassoff, Viatcheslav, PhD. "How Does Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Change the Brain?"

BainBlogger. N.p., 24 Jan. 2015. Web. 27 July 2017.