Witnessing trauma triggers unique brain changes, distinct from those caused by experiencing trauma firsthand.
Witnessing trauma triggers unique brain changes, distinct from those caused by experiencing trauma firsthand.
Researchers discovered distinct molecular differences in how the brain processes directly experienced versus witnessed trauma — a finding that could lead to more targeted treatments for PTSD.
For years, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been studied primarily in people who experience trauma firsthand. But what about those who witness it — military veterans, first responders, health care workers, or bystanders to violence — who constitute 10 percent of all PTSD cases?
New research from Virginia Tech, published in PLOS ONE, reveals that witnessing trauma triggers unique brain changes, distinct from those caused by experiencing trauma firsthand. The study is the first to shed light on the molecular differences between directly acquired PTSD and bystander PTSD and could pave the way for changes in how the disorders are treated.