Following a mission, the brains of war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear different than those of healthy veterans. Neuropsychologist Elbert Geuze reached this conclusion based on research for his doctoral dissertation, which he conducted at the Central Military Hospital and UMC Utrecht. Veterans with PTSD have a smaller hippocampus, a part of the brain important for memory and dealing with stress. In these people, the cerebral cortex – the outermost layer of the brain – is also thinner. PTSD veterans also experience pain less intensely and their brains deal with pain differently.
Geuze used an MRI scanner to study former soldiers who had served in Lebanon, Bosnia and Cambodia. Of this group, 10 percent suffered from post-traumatic stress: they had nightmares, were extremely irritable and tried to avoid their memories of war. Their cerebral cortex – a layer of brain tissue folded around the brain – was found to be thinner, particularly in the frontal cortex. This part of the brain regulates working memory and impulse control, among other things.
Using what is known as a PET scanner, Geuze also discovered during his research that an important receptor is less active in the brains of veterans with PTSD. This could possibly have an effect on the functioning of the entire brain. With fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) research, Geuze has shown that parts of the brain involved in memory are less active in veterans with PTSD. This could explain why those in this group have poorer memories.
The research was financed by the Ministry of Defense and was carried out in the Central Military Hospital in collaboration with UMC Utrecht.
Elbert Geuze received his PhD from Utrecht University on October 24.
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