This paper will cover the hippocampal abnormalities and the effects of emotional and traumatic events in DID patients. Causes of DID are not understood, but 90 to 95 percent of patients report childhood physical and/or sexual abuse. Many therapists believe that the individuals generate alternate personalities or “alters” as a front line defense against prolonged emotional stress. The “alters” give an escape among other things. (Garrett, B 2014, p. 508). Emotion and trauma do a lot to a persons brain processing and structure. In the article “Abnormal Hippocampal Morphology in Dissociative Identity Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Correlates with Childhood Trauma and Dissociative Symptoms” they explored hippocampal morphological correlation of childhood traumatization and dissociative symptoms in both dissociative identity disorder (DID) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. It was hypothesized that (1) both DID and PTSD patients compared to healthy control would have smaller global hippocampal volume, regional volumetric abnormalities and shape deformations in different hippocampal subfields, (2) global hippocampal volume, regional volume …show more content…
The study compared hippocampal and amygdala volumes in patients with DID compared with healthy subjects. The patients with DID in the study showed a 19.2% smaller hippocampal volume compared to the healthy subjects. N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors are highly concentrated in the hippocampus, the article also hypothesized that stress, acting through NMDA receptors in the hippocampus, may mediate symptoms of dissociation. The finding suggest that DID is associated with relatively greater volume reductions in the amygdala than in the hippocampus. Stress-related dissociative symptoms happen to occur in many individuals with
Moreover, Complex trauma is a leading factor in many health issues and diagnoses such as ADHD, ADD, Anxiety disorder, Borderline disorder, depression, bipolar, and PTSD. The list of possible diagnoses is endless, and finding proper treatment is a struggle. In 2013, a Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) was proposed, with a complete diagnosis description and criteria, for consideration for the DSM-5. But unfortunately, even with 20-year supporting research accompanying the proposal, the disorder still goes unrecognized as a formal diagnosis (Kilrain
Hippocampus is a small, curved region, which exists in both hemispheres of the brain and plays a vital role in emotions, learning and acquisition of new information. It also contributes majorly to long term memory, which is permanent information stored in the brain. Although long term memory is the last information that can be forgotten, its impairment has become very common nowadays. The dysfunction is exemplified by many neurological disorders such as amnesia. There are two types of amnesia, anterograde and retrograde. Anterograde amnesia is inability in forming new information, while retrograde refers to the loss of the past memory. As suggested by Cipolotti and Bird (2006), hippocampus’s lesions are responsible for both types of amnesia. According to multiple trace theory, the author suggests that hippocampal region plays a major role in effective retrieving of episodic memory (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). For example, patients with hippocampal damage show extensively ungraded retrograde amnesia (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). They have a difficult time in retrieving information from their non-personal episodic events and autobiographical memory. However, this theory conflicts with standard model of consolidation. The difference between these theories suggests that researchers need to do more work to solve this controversy. Besides retrieving information, hippocampus is also important in obtaining new semantic information, as well as familiarity and recollection (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). For instance, hippocampal amnesic patient V.C shows in ability to acquire new semantic knowledge such as vocabularies and factual concepts (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). He is also unable to recognize and recall even...
Dissociation is harmful in many ways. It could cause the individual to have blackout, to have multiple...
Organized in the class Actinopterygii, seahorses, Hippocampus spp., are marine dwelling organisms found in bodies of water which span from tropical to temperate zones around the Earth. As cited by Foster in Life History and Ecology of Seahorses, research by R. A. Fritschze suggests that the genus Hippocampus diverged at least 20 million years ago from its ancestral origins. Research pertaining to organisms organized under the genus Hippocampus are conflicting in regards to the number species contained within it, although a general figure places the number at around fifty discovered species(website source). These odd-looking organisms reside at shallow depths of less than 30 meters and can be found in habitats containing seagrass beds and coral reefs(Foster 10). Hippocampus spp. are all predatory organisms, their main sources of food consist of small crustaceans and fish, as well as other organisms which are small enough to be consumed(lourie 10). Although Hippocampus spp. are predatory, their size and restricted mobility capabilities place them at risk of being prey for other carnivorous organisms.
3. Walker is battling with dissociative identity disorder (module 12). This disorder presents two or more distinct personalities. These personalities can take over your cognitive awareness and create voices and opinions in your head. Some symptoms that are common are: anxiety, mood swings, amnesia, depression, self harm, etc. Dissociative identity disorder is very serious illness that disrupt daily activity and progression. Behavioral psychologist (module 1) research the learning and behaviors of individuals according to environmental influences. Behavioral psychologist can identify common symptoms of DID, which can help Walker become more aware of his disorder. Dissociative identity disorder has commonly been correlated from traumatic events from the past. Discovering these events can be beneficial to the source of this disorder. Memories of these events will be embedded in Walker's temporal lobe (module 2). In the temporal lobe, which is located above ears, it is the primary organization of sensory input. The temporal lobe is important for long term memory. Research has proven that a
Through studies performed on sleep-deprived rats, experimental results have shown a decrease in cellular activity in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is responsible for most of the brain’s memory processing. When entering into sleep deprivation, the brain will experience consequences such as a failure for the hippocampus to encode, consolidate, or retrieve signals powering memory processing. As a result, researchers are looking for cellular characteristics that could lead to further details into the relationship between sleep deprivation and memory impairment. There are several different ways memory can be disrupted, one suggested in being an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the hippocampal region of the brain. Both hormonal and oxidative stress are also factors that are observed to play major roles of memory impairment in the hippocampus. These
...d disregard clues in a situation and fail to warn the person to use safety and caution (Pitman et al. 771). Research has shown that when affected by PTSD the hippocampal size has decreased between “0.0-0.5 which in percentage is 0-20%”, and that is a relatively large margin (Vilens and Sher 5). Vilens and Sher examined the reduction in the hippocampus by types of traumatic events and found that, “there seems a trend toward combat trauma resulting in larger changes, followed by childhood sexual abuse, accidents and interpersonal violence” (5). Studies on the amygdala have shown an increase in reaction to trauma related stimuli, and also play a role in the extent of the symptoms that one experiences (Pitman et al. 772). The prefrontal cortex, and corpus callosum both show lower volumes in people diagnosed with PTSD rather than those who are not (Vilens and Sher 5-6).
The following research was published in the Psychiatry (Edgemont) Journal Online in March of 2009 by Paulette Marie Gillig, MD, PhD. There are also contraindications involving the treatment of DID. Caution needs to be taken while treating people with DID with medications because any effects they may experience, good or bad, may cause the sufferer of DID to feel like they are being controlled, and therefore traumatized yet again.
Technology and the Brain As a college student, using the internet and technology is a daily task. Everything you need for your classes: schedules, homework, quizzes, and even tests are all online. The debate on technology and the brain suggests that technology may have an effect on the brain, effect multi-tasking, and cause addiction. Brain Activity
Do you ever feel like you just can’t take reality anymore? You just want to escape it and in order to do so, your conscious awareness becomes separated from all the painful things you can’t stand, including your painful memories. Then suddenly you’re a totally different person. Another identity takes your place in suffering all the painful things you want to escape. Today, I’m going to talk to you about dissociative identity disorder (DID). I will be talking about what DID is, what causes DID and how it affects the individual (host/core). I will also mention a famous case in psychology.
Painter, Kirstin, and Maria Scannapieco. "Child Maltreatment: The Neurobiological Aspects Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder." Journal Of Evidence-Based Social Work 10.4 (2013): 276-284. CINAHL. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Further biological research on the effect of psychological trauma on the neurochemistry of memory may help clinicians distinguish between true repressed memories and false memories in clients who report abuse. However, to date there is no method to determine the accuracy of these memories. Therefore clinicians and the courts must rely on corroborative evidence, and behavioral and physiologic clues to distinguish veracity.
What is Dissociative Identity Disorder? A proper explanation of DID necessitates a dissection of the name itself. Dissociation is “a mental process, which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity.”1 In other words, there is a disruption in the way in which these usually integrated functions communicate. Daydreaming, highway hypnosis, or “getting lost” in a book or movie are all examples of very mild dissociation.
According to Barlow, Durand & Stewart (2012), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is one of several dissociative disorders in which a person experiences involve detachment or depersonalization. They go on to explain that people with DID ha...
Most of the body’s functions such as, thinking, emotions, memories and so forth are controlled by the brain. It serves as a central nervous system in the human body. The mind is the intellect/consciousness that originates in the human brain and manifests itself in emotions, thoughts, perceptions and so forth. This means that the brain is the key interpreter of the mind’s content. Jackson and Nagel seem to resist identifying what we call “mental events” with brain events, for different reasons, while J.J.C. Smart takes the opposing view.