Hippocampus and relation with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

 

The hippocampus (HC) is located in the temporal lobe of the brain and it is known to have an important role in the regulation of stress responses and learning and memory. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a fear-based disorder that is developed from an extreme shocking, scary, or dangerous event. The HC is a very major part of the symptoms of PTSD due to the hippocampus’s role in learning and memory. Grella et. al studied how odor modulates PTSD symptoms and how the relationship between memories and the hippocampus is affected. Careaga et. al studied fear conditioning and PTSD and also showing the significance of the hippocampus with learning and memory.

 

            Grella et. al studied fear reorganization under the Systems Consolidation theory. This theory proposes that contextually rich memories are stored in the hippocampus. These memories then come through the prefrontal cortex to reorganize and get stored in there. Grella et. al then suggests an odor stimulus can create a reversal of that process and the memories from the prefrontal cortex go back into the hippocampus. First, The System Consolidation Theory already shows that the hippocampus is a major role in memory. This suggestion of odor stimuli reversing this theory can help PTSD symptoms be suppressed and the hippocampus is very important in this process.

 

            Careaga et. al studied how fear conditioning played a role in post-traumatic stress disorder victims. They found that a key component of PTSD is fear conditioning and fear conditioning is processed in the hippocampus mainly. This allows readers to make the conclusion with the Grella et. al paper that the hippocampus is the primary target when trying to suppress symptoms of patients with PTSD. Careaga et. al found the role of fear conditioning and how it creates the symptoms of PTSD. Grella et. al found a stimulus that will allow patients to use odor to suppress those symptoms that occur through fear conditioning primarily targeting the hippocampus.\

References:

Careaga, M. B. L., Girardi, C. E. N., & Suchecki, D. (2016, August 31). Understanding posttraumatic stress disorder through fear conditioning, extinction and reconsolidation. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763416300100

Grella, Stephanie et al. "Odor modulates the temporal dynamics of fear memory consolidation." Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.). 27. 150-163. 10.1101/lm.050680.