The butterfly effect of trauma contextualization
Abstract
People who experience a traumatic event can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They experience long-term psychological symptoms, which greatly affect their daily functioning. Currently, we cannot predict who will develop PTSD after a shocking event. This is important to know so that we can prevent symptom development or help these people earlier with recovery from the event.
In this dissertation, we show that vulnerability to PTSD can be predicted in rats by the extent to which memories are linked to environmental information of an event. This memory form determines when someone remembers the event. People suffering from PTSD are also reminded of the shocking event in a safe environment. Our finding suggests that this memory form is hampered in people who develop PTSD even before the trauma.
To better help these people in the future, we need to understand why this is impaired in some people. In our study with healthy people, we found that connecting environmental information to memories is influenced by the stress response. This influence is not similar in all situations and all individuals. A person’s personality, mood, and previous exposure to negative life events influence this process, as does the emotional significance of the event.
Our research provides fundamental scientific insight into the processes that contribute to differences in trauma processing between individuals. With this knowledge, we increase our understanding of the development of PTSD. In the long run, this could make it possible to prevent PTSD in people.