Neurobiology of Memory in Trauma Survivors

Abstract

In everyday life, we are often exposed to traumatic experiences which can lead to diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 (2013), PTSD, as part of trauma and stressor-related disorders, is defined by diagnostic criteria which include: (1) Exposure to actual or threatened death which, in the new version of DSM-5, compared to DSM 4, includes not only directly experiencing or witnessing the traumatic event but also learning that the traumatic event occurred to a close friend or family member. Also, experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event can be criteria for the diagnosis of PTSD: (2) Presence of intrusion symptoms associated with the traumatic event (memories, dreams, dissociative reactions, distress, and physiological reactions); (3) Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event; (4) Negative alterations in cognition and mood, which include the inability to remember an important aspect(s) of the traumatic event(s) often due to dissociative amnesia. Also, distorted cognitions, feelings of detachment, and persistent inability to experience positive emotions are described, among other symptoms, within these criteria.