Amygdala volumetric change following psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder
Impact of EMDR and prolonged exposure on the volumes of the amygdala and hippocampus in 20 patients with PTSD assessed via MRI.
Article Abstract
“The authors investigated the impact of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and prolonged exposure (PE) on the volumes of the amygdala and hippocampus, structures known to be important in fear conditioning, in 20 patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Patients were randomly allocated to either EMDR or PE. Volumes were assessed before and after treatment via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both groups showed significant improvements in PTSD symptoms. Left amygdala mean volume increased significantly following EMDR treatment only. No significant volumetric changes were found for the hippocampus.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Laugharne, J., Kullack, C., Lee, C. W., McGuire, T., Brockman, S., Drummond, P. D., & Starkstein, S. (2016). Amygdala volumetric change following psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 28(4), 312-318. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.16010006
Date
June 3, 2016
Creator(s)
Jonathan Laugharne, Claire Kullack, Christopher W. Lee
Contributor(s)
Tracy McGuire, Simone Brockman, Peter D. Drummond, Sergio Starkstein
Topics
PTSD
Practice & Methods
Comparative Studies, Neurobiology
Extent
7 pages
Publisher
Psychiatry Online
APA Citation
Laugharne, J., Kullack, C., Lee, C. W., McGuire, T., Brockman, S., Drummond, P. D., & Starkstein, S. (2016). Amygdala volumetric change following psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 28(4), 312-318. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.16010006
Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed, RCT
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
