Scientists from Leiden University in the Netherlands have shown that anandamide — a natural cannabinoid produced by the brain — could help people to forget traumatic memories and reduce stress levels. A recent study investigates the effects of a natural cannabinoid. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant. One of the most notable...
by Whitelaw Reid, University of Virginia University of Virginia professor and clinical psychologist Peter Tuerk and his colleagues at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and the National Center for PTSD were surprised at the size of their findings. Could people who improved their post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms really have lessened their risk for developing Type 2 diabetes about 50 percent, as...
A medication that boosts the body’s own cannabis-like substances, endocannabinoids, shows promise to help the brain un-learn fear memories when these are no longer meaningful. This according to an early-stage, experimental study on healthy volunteers at LiU. The new findings give hope that a new treatment can be developed for post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. “We have used a medication that blocks the way...
Scientific research continues to uncover interesting connections between the gut microbiome and human health, including everything from depression to PTSD to autoimmune disease. Another example of this are the emerging ties between gut health and autism, with an exciting new study demonstrating how boosting microbial diversity via fecal transplants can dramatically reduce its symptoms in...
The high blood pressure drug prazosin is sometimes used to treat PTSD-related nightmares and insomnia that can increase suicide risk. But this small study suggests the drug may make nightmares and insomnia worse and not reduce suicidal thoughts in PTSD patients. Image: (HealthDay)—A drug used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may actually be harmful, a new study suggests....
AMERICAN THORACIC SOCIETY Oct. 12, 2018–Long-term use of benzodiazepine medications in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may lead to increased suicide risk, according to a study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. IMAGE: COMORBID COPD AND PTSD PATIENTS TREATED FOR LONG PERIOD WITH BENZOS AT INCREASED SUICIDE RISK. CREDIT: ATS In “Risks of Benzodiazepines in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary...
Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are exploring how mild stimulation of the vagus nerve could help alleviate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a complex condition that can cause debilitating anxiety and mental anguish. The vagus nerve controls the parasympathetic nervous system, which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions including digestion...
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a technique to selectively erase fear memories by weakening connections between the nerve cells involved in forming such memories. Memories can be triggered by stimuli such as sights, sounds, and smells. Some memories are formed during traumatic events, and in this case stimuli associated with the...
Ecstasy, or MDMA, has received ‘breakthrough status’ by the FDA for PTSD trials This means there is substantial evidence the ‘medication’ could benefit sufferers MDMA is thought to dampen down PTSD triggers, allowing them to be overcome Past studies show 61 out of 107 patients do not have symptoms one year later Assuming sufficient funding, the...
Innovative research demonstrates how weakening specific fear-related connections in the brain of a mouse can erase previous fear responses to a stimulus. The work may help to build future treatment programs for post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias. Science is one step closer to removing specific fears. As we evolved, swiftly learning to be afraid...
