Trauma can cause dissociative symptoms such as out-of-body experiences and emotional numbness. This is beneficial in the short term, but detrimental in the long term.
Researchers at McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School and part of Brigham Massachusetts, found areas within brain networks that communicate with each other when people experience different types of dissociative symptoms. I found Their findings were recently published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
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“Dissociative and severe dissociative disorders like Dissociative Identity Disorder or ‘DID’ remain underrepresented at best and often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed at worst,” said co-founder Dr. Author and director of the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research Program, Lauren AM Lebois, Ph.D. .
“The cost of this stigma and misdiagnosis is high, preventing people from receiving appropriate and effective treatment, causing long-term distress and hindering research on dissociation.In addition, DID disproportionately affects women. Gender inequality is a key issue in the world given the context.”
Ninety-one women with or without a history of childhood trauma, current post-traumatic stress disorder, and varying degrees of dissociative symptoms participated in Lebois and colleagues’ study. Functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were performed by the participants so that researchers could learn more about their brain activity.
“The new methods we used to study brain connectivity are important for understanding the role these network disorders play in dissociative disorders,” said co-lead author Lisa D. Nickerson, Ph.D. said.
Researchers have found that specific connections between regions of brain networks that control cognitive and emotional processes are associated with specific dissociative symptoms. According to Lebois, “We found that the key dissociations of DID and the dissociations common to post-traumatic stress disorder are each associated with specific brain features.”
To correct historical misconceptions about dissociation and DID, deprecate these experiences, and contribute to reducing gender-related health disparities, the team is working to advance our understanding of the neural correlates of dissociation.
“We also hope to increase awareness of dissociative symptoms. Ultimately, we hope that clinicians will be more likely to assess and consider these symptoms, connecting patients to timely and appropriate treatment.” MD, PhD, Director of the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research Program.
It’s important to note that the distinct brain signatures of various dissociative disorders may indicate a need for new treatments, according to the study’s authors. According to co-author Kerry J. Ressler, M.D., Ph.D., future research may focus on dissociation-related brain activity as a stand-alone therapy.
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