Study shows increased amygdala activity in those who were closer to the 9/11 disaster

EXPOSURE TO TRAUMA CAN AFFECT BRAIN FUNCTION IN HEALTHY PEOPLE SEVERAL YEARS AFTER EVENT; MAY INCREASE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE


WASHINGTON, DC—Exposure to trauma may create enough changes in the brain to sensitize people to overreact to an innocuous facial gesture years later, even in people who don’t have a stress-related disorder, says new research. It appears that proximity to high-intensity traumas can have long lasting effects on the brain and behavior of healthy people without causing a current clinical disorder. But these subtle changes could increase susceptibility to mental health problems later on. These findings are reported in the May issue of Emotion, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

http://apa.org/releases/brain_function.html