EMDR therapy for PTSD after motor vehicle accidents: Meta-analytic evidence for specific treatment
This article presents the results of a meta-analysis of fMRI studies on PTSD after motor vehicle accidents (MVA) and discusses findings relevant to EMDR’s effectiveness.
Article Abstract
“Motor vehicle accident (MVA) victims may suffer both acute and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). With PTSD affecting social, interpersonal and occupational functioning, clinicians as well as the National Institute of Health are very interested in identifying the most effective psychological treatment to reduce PTSD. From research findings, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is considered as one of the effective treatment of PTSD. In this paper, we present the results of a meta-analysis of fMRI studies on PTSD after MVA through activation likelihood estimation. We found that PTSD following MVA is characterized by neural modifications in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a cerebral structure involved in fear-conditioning mechanisms. Basing on previous findings in both humans and animals, which demonstrate that desensitization techniques and extinction protocols act on the limbic system, the effectiveness of EMDR and of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) may be related to the fact that during these therapies the ACC is stimulated by desensitization.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Boccia, M., Piccardi, L., Cordellieri, P., Guariglia, C., & Giannini, A. M. (2015). EMDR therapy for PTSD after motor vehicle accidents: Meta-analytic evidence for specific treatment. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9: 213. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00213
Date
April 15, 2015
Creator(s)
Maddalena Boccia, Laura Piccardi, Pierluigi Cordellieri
Contributor(s)
Cecilia Guariglia, Anna Maria Giannini
Topics
PTSD
Practice & Methods
Neurobiology
Extent
9 pages
Publisher
Frontiers
Rights
Copyright © 2015 Boccia, Piccardi, Cordellieri, Guariglia and Giannini. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution and reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
APA Citation
Boccia, M., Piccardi, L., Cordellieri, P., Guariglia, C., & Giannini, A. M. (2015). EMDR therapy for PTSD after motor vehicle accidents: Meta-analytic evidence for specific treatment. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9: 213. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00213
Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Meta-analyses/Systematic Reviews, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
