Memory posttraumatic stress disorder

Anxiety and Aversive Memories (Posttraumatic Stress Disorders).546... 

Bremner JD, VythUingam M, Vermetten E, Southwick SM, McGlashan T, Staib LH, Soufer R, Charney DS (2003) Neural correlates of declarative memory for emotionally valenced words in women with posttraumatic stress disorder related to early childhood sexual abuse. Biol Psychiatry 53 879-889... 

Perry BD, GiUer EL, Southwick SM (1987) Altered platelet alpha2 adrenergic binding sites in posttraumatic stress disorder. Am J Psychiatry 144 1511-1512 Przbyslawski J, Sara SJ (1997) Reconsolidation of memory after its reactivation. Behav Brain... 

Anxiety represents a state of heightened vigilance and fear, but pathological anxiety can be distinguished from fear in that it is inappropriately evoked and may persist in the absence of real threat or danger. The study of conditioned fear has provided detailed information on the neural circuitry and intracellular mechanisms that are important to fear responses and their long-term retention. The description of neural circuitry and the mechanisms underlying disorders of fear memory such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also be relevant to other anxiety states that share common neural substrates. 

The effects of P-adrenergic blockade on the consolidation of traumatic memories has been an area of special interest for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and recently the first randomized controlled study on the effects of propranolol in the prevention of PTSD was published. Pittmann and coworkers (2002) could demonstrate that propranolol may reduce PTSD... 

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is another anxiety disorder that can be characterized by attacks of anxiety or panic, but it is notably different from panic disorder or social phobia in that the initial anxiety or panic attack is in response to a real threat (being raped, for example) and subsequent attacks are usually linked to memories, thoughts, or flashbacks of the original trauma. The lifetime incidence of PTSD is about 1%. Patients have disturbed sleep and frequent sleep complaints. Comorbidities with other psychiatric disorders, especially depression and drug and alcohol abuse, are the rule rather than the exception. The DSM-IV diagnostic criteria are given in Table 9—11. 

Bremner, J.D., Narayan, M., Staib, L.H., et al., 1999. Neural correlates of memories of childhood sexual abuse in women with and without posttraumatic stress disorder. Am. J. Psychiatry 156,1787-1795. 

Elzinga, B.M., Bremner, J.D., 2002. Are the neural substrates of memory the final common pathway in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) J. Affect. Disord. 70,1-17. 

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