Psychology Research About Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Research Paper Sample)

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Background
Sussman et al. study Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among former soldiers in a study called “Neuroanatomical Features in Soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” The study begins by noting the sociological and environmental factors that lead to PTSD. The condition accrues from exposure to psychological trauma like in the event of military combat. The disease manifests in the form of a cluster of behavioral and emotional symptoms that include an inability to control memory (Sussman et al. 1). The study posits that patients suffering from the condition suffer from language and patience difficulties. Previous research places the prevalence of the disease among ex-Middle Eastern and Afghanistan soldiers at 10-20% of the population. The study further illustrates that standard routine clinical imaging of the brain usually does not show evidence of any damage of the brain hence such tests do not help in the validation of such cases (Sussman et al. 1). The study notes that previous research conducted in the area stressed on the prefrontal cortex because of its role in controlling and inhibiting the hippocampi. The three have been essential in contributing to the research because of their roles in stress and episodic memory.
Sussman et al. note the comparatively less attention other structures of the brain have received indicating that the current study reports the reduced volume of the cortex of the anterior cingulate, insula and caudate. Moreover, the research reports a thinning of the middle and superior frontal gyri together with the superior and inferior frontal gyri (Sussman et al. 2). Previous studies took the position that the cerebellum might have a role in the development of anxiety disorders noting that there is scarce data on literature about PTSD related to combat.
According to recent literature findings, a reduction in the volume of cerebellar found in pediatric patients highlighted the need for determining the possible role of changes in cerebellar in the adult conditioningCITATION Law14 \p 19 \l 1033 (Lawson 19). The researcher established that no single study had been done investigating cerebellar, cortical, subcortical neuroanatomical in a group of soldiers with PTSD. Lawson confirms the context into which it fits in filling in the gap of information and research in the education of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among soldiers (19). The study offers in-depth analysis of all the structures of the brain by employing the use of high-resolution Magnetic Resolution Imaging (MRI) and compares them to soldiers with PTSD.
Hypothesis
The study posits that advancement in neuroimaging sustains prognostic and diagnostic potential for the furtherance of comprehension of its etiology (Sussman et al. 1). The researchers focus on previous studies, which have stressed on the PTSD related to combat and concentrate on a selection of structures like the cortex and hippocampi. None of the studies conducted an exhaustive examination of both the cerebellum and the cerebrum.
Methods
The researchers employ various analytical methods to arrive at their conclusions. The study is approved by the Board of Research and Ethics of the Sick Children’s Hospital and the Center for Development and Defense Research of Canada. The researchers conduct the study according to the standards of the Board. They recruited 47 male soldiers on active duty from the Armed Forces of Canada (Sussman et al. 2). The soldiers must have served in Afghanistan. Of all the soldiers interviewed, 23 were diagnosed with PTSD. The soldiers ranged from 26 to 48 years.
The researchers assessed the soldiers with PTSD using a semi-structured interview of psychometric nature. They were tested at the Canadian Forces Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centre and found to have the condition. The researchers sent the potential subjects letters of invitation to participate in the study. Their decisions did not affect the level of care they received. On all the subjects with PTSD, the condition was found to originate from an event related to their operations in the field. Depression and other anxiety disorders were connected to the subjects with PTSD. The researchers advertised for the control soldiers in the same manner they did for the test soldiers.
The study does not report any cases of trauma in the control group even though both groups serve in the same front line roles of combat. The subjects were assumed to have experienced the same stressful events like those of the PTSD subjects. The criteria for exclusion in both groups of study incorporated safety exclusions of standard neuroimaging and uncorrected visions. The experiment checked whether the subject took medications for anti-convulsion, GABA antagonists, and benzodiazepines.
Findings
Sussman et al. found that cortical thickness is averagely thinner in patients with PTSD. The CT scans revealed the size, number, and density of the neurons. Reduced CT may be interpreted to mean a loss in the dendritic spines or an alteration in the cortical mantle because of the decreas...