Military combat often causes extreme stress, leaving many diagnosed with the psychiatric condition of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. PTSD is associated with several brain structure and function abnormalities. “Although it is tempting to conclude that these abnormalities were caused by the traumatic event, it is also possible that they were pre-existing risk factors that increased the risk of developing PTSD upon the traumatic event’s occurrence,” explains researcher Roger Pitman. Drs. Kasai and Yamasue and their colleagues at the Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan, sought to examine this association in a new study published in the March 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry.

The authors measured the gray matter density of the brains of combat-exposed Vietnam veterans, some with and some without PTSD, and their combat-unexposed identical twins using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MRI images allowed the investigators to compare specific brain regions of the siblings. They found that the gray matter density of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain involved in emotional functioning, was reduced in veterans with PTSD, but not in their twins who had not experienced combat. According to Dr. Pitman, “this finding supports the conclusion that the psychological stress resulting from the traumatic stressor may damage this brain region, with deleterious emotional consequences.”

The good news is that many other studies have demonstrated that our brains are plastic and have the ability to regenerate. The problem is that brain regeneration is not always a straight gain for loss thing. Diet, exercise, behavioral habits, attitude, and specific regenerative exercises all can play a substantial role in how or if certain brain structures recover from stressor damage. Learning how to de-stress and more easily roll with life’s stresses can speed the process of recovery. I recommend self-hypnosis, Rapid Eye Technology’s Skills for Life, and meditation as effective self-healing methods.