It’s common knowledge that caring for someone with PTSD sometimes leads to secondary trauma. But researchers at the University of Utah wondered just how bad that secondary trauma could be. Could the partners of veterans with PTSD suffer just as much, if not more, than the veterans themselves? Catherine Caska, a graduate student in clinical […]
PTSD and gene expression: What can we learn about treating trauma?
Is there a “trauma gene”? Well, let’s back up a bit. We know that genetics can have something to do with vulnerability to trauma. But what if we could find a specific gene that led to PTSD? That’s just what Ya-Ping Tang, MD, PhD, a professor of cell biology at LSU, tried to do. Joined […]
The brain’s attempt to help us heal from trauma?
When people are jarred from sleep because of a nightmare, the disturbing images can be difficult to shake. Even though they’re “just dreams,” nightmares can be very upsetting and can sometimes haunt us long after we’ve awoken. But believe it or not, there may be a good reason for them. Nightmares are part of the […]
Do stress and emotional trauma affect child development?
Can trauma pass from parent to child? It’s an interesting question. Some leading-edge research suggests that it’s possible – trauma felt by survivors might even affect their children’s gene expression. But we don’t need epigenetics to study how trauma strikes across generations. For example, researchers at Auburn University studied a more mundane form of intergenerational […]
How PTSD changes children’s brains
Trauma can change the brain . . . . . . but it doesn’t just change the survivor’s brain. In fact, it can actually change the brains of the survivor’s children – in some pretty insidious ways. Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD explains how traumatic experiences can affect a mother’s children, even if the children themselves […]