Cortical activation change sin PTSD treatment: EEG monitoring during EMDR

In the recent years, several studies have highlighted how psychological trauma can cause anatomical and functional changes in specific brain areas associated with the onset of post-traumatic symptoms. Thanks to the development of neuroimaging it has been possible to identify the brain circuits involved in the pathophysiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder  (PTSD). According to the neurobiological model of PTSD there is evidence for an heightened responsivity of the amygdala, implying an unexpected response to fear as well as to threat-related, ambiguous and uncertain stimuli. On the other hand, there is a diminished responsivity of the regions of the medial prefrontal cortex and this has been linked to a partial failure in the appropriate functional inhibition of the activity of the amygdala. Despite the divergent results, due to the different neuroimaging techniques used, to low sample size and to the heterogeneity of patients’ symptoms, this neurobiological model is now accepted by PTSD researchers and has been validated in
research and clinical settings.

Conference

English

Marco Pagani

Pagani, M. (2014, October). Cortical activation change sin PTSD treatment: EEG monitoring during EMDR. Japan-Italy EMDR Joint Seminar "Neurobiology of PTSD and EMDR," Hamamatu, Japan