Stress 'shrank brains of Japan's tsunami survivors'

The emotional stress of Japan's tsunami and earthquake disaster resulted in some survivors suffering a shrinkage of the brain, according to a new study.

The emotional stress of Japan's tsunami and earthquake disaster resulted in some survivors suffering a shrinkage of the brain, according to a new study

Scientists compared before and after brain scans of healthy adolescents who were affected by last year's March 11 disaster in order to measure the neurological effects of emotional trauma.

The findings revealed that those suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had experienced a shrinkage in the part of the brain associated with decision-making and regulation of emotions.

"The changed volumes in the orbitofrontal cortex are correlated to the severity of PTSD symptoms," Atsushi Sekiguchi, of Tohoku University and author of the study, told AFP.

The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, a Nature journal, focused on 42 healthy adolescents based in tsunami-hit Sendai, northeast Japan, who had undergone brain scans for unrelated issues during the two years preceding the disaster.

Comparative brain scans taken at various intervals following March 11 last year discovered the correlation between PSTD symptoms – such as insomnia and flashbacks – and a shrinkage of the brain area.

Although scientists believe that the brain changes are not necessarily permanent, the discovery paves the way for a deeper understanding of the emotional impact of trauma and more effective methods of preventing PTSD.

"Not only the earthquake itself, but also frequent after-quakes, radioactive materials leaked from nuclear plants, and many inconveniences after the quake, such as stopping utilities, caused stressful periods," said the scientist.

The report added: "This extremely miserable episode provided a rare opportunity for investigating brain structural changes associated with such a disaster".

SOURCE: telegraph.co.uk

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