PTSD numbs physical pain

The study included 24 military veterans - half with PTSD and half without - who were given hot objects to hold while their brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), BBC News reported.

Compared to those without PTSD, the veterans with PTSD said the objects felt less hot and reported significantly less pain. The fMRI scans showed that those with PTSD had much less activity in parts of the brain that process pain while they were holding the hot objects.

The researchers did not offer any explanations for the differences in pain regulation between the veterans with PTSD and those without the condition, BBC News reported. Some previous studies have suggested that PTSD patients may have differences in the structure of certain parts of the brain.

People with PTSD suffer flashbacks, panic attacks, anxiety and depression following a traumatic event. – (HealthDayNews)

April 2007