I don't think you want reduced cortical thickness so what exactly is your doctor doing to address your chances of getting PTSD from your stroke? ANYTHING AT ALL? Does your doctor even know about the chances of getting PTSD? Or is s/he clueless about that also?
With a 23% chance of stroke survivors getting PTSD, your doctor should be testing for that possibility and providing solutions to PTSD.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=167438&CultureCode=en
Reports new study in Biological Psychiatry
Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of cardiometabolic conditions, may be a
biological mechanism linking posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to
structural brain abnormalities, according to a new study in Biological
Psychiatry. The findings highlight the need to develop effective
interventions for PTSD to treat not only the symptoms associated with
the disorder, but also potential ensuing metabolic and neurodegenerative
consequences, which may be suggestive of premature aging.
"The
results of this study have important implications for our newest cohort
of veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan," said
first author Erika Wolf from the National Center for PTSD, VA Boston
Healthcare System in Massachusetts. "They suggest that it might be
appropriate to view PTSD as a risk factor for metabolic disease and as
such, to screen young veterans with PTSD for metabolic problems."
Stress
has been thought to be a contributing factor to the development of
metabolic syndrome, which occurs about twice as often in patients with
PTSD than in the general population. Additionally, metabolic syndrome
increases risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other
medical conditions that often accompany PTSD, and is associated with
neurodegeneration.
In the study, jointly funded by the National
Institute of Mental Health and the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs, senior author Mark Miller, also from the National Center for
PTSD, and colleagues examined the associations between PTSD, metabolic
syndrome, and structural integrity of the brain. They assessed 346
United States military veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan who
participated in the Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress
Disorders (TRACTS) for PTSD and metabolic syndrome, of which 274 also
had magnetic resonance imaging measures of cortical thickness, an index
of the neural integrity of the brain.
Consistent with previously
published rates, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among veterans
with PTSD was nearly twice as high as those without PTSD. Structural
brain images revealed an association between greater metabolic syndrome
severity and reduced cortical thickness. In an analysis with
multivariate statistical models, the researchers then found an indirect
effect of PTSD on cortical thickness via metabolic syndrome severity.
"Our
finding that PTSD-related metabolic syndrome was associated with
reduced thickness in large regions of the cortex of the brain is
alarming, particularly given that veterans in this study were, on
average, quite young and in their early 30s," said Wolf.
The
question of how PTSD and metabolic syndrome affect brain structure
remains unanswered and additional research will be needed to rule out
the possibility that reductions in cortical thickness are actually a
risk factor, rather than consequence, of PTSD and metabolic syndrome.
Still,
according to Wolf, this association raises concern about the
possibility of subsequent neurocognitive decline in this population.
"The effects observed in this study may be part of larger PTSD-related
accelerated cellular aging process that is manifested in premature
health decline," she said..
"This important study suggests a link
between PTSD, metabolic syndrome, and brain health," said John Krystal,
Editor of Biological Psychiatry. "By implication, this study suggests
that effective treatment for PTSD is needed to reduce emotional distress
and to preserve overall health."
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322315010264
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