Recent research published in Archives of General Psychiatry has shown clear evidence that a reduced amygdala volume is associated with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The role of the amygdala in regulating fear, anxiety and stress responses is well established, and a smaller amygdala size has been linked to lowered regulation of these functions, which is implicated in PTSD.
Researchers investigated combat veterans who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Half had PTSD and the other half had been exposed to trauma but did not develop PTSD. Upon measuring amygdala volumes using MRI scans, the researchers found significant evidence that PTSD was associated with a smaller volume in both the left and right amygdala.
PTSD strikes nearly 14 percent of combat veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as afflicting 6.8 percent of the general population.
Further experiments need to be performed to determine whether a smaller amygdala is the consequence of trauma, or a vulnerability that predisposes people to PTSD development.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121105161355.htm
