Note: Support for this study was provided by CTSI's Clinical Research Services-VA Medical Center in the areas of medical clearances for the participants and drawing screening labs.
By Jeffrey Norris at UCSF.edu
Women exposed to trauma may be at greater risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder because of a heightened fear response, according to a new study.
UCSF researchers from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center (SFVAMC) and SFVAMC-based Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE) examined individuals with PTSD symptoms and found that the women in the study were more likely than the men to develop a stronger fear response, and – once conditioned to respond fearfully – more likely to have stronger responses to fear-inducing stimuli.
“Differences in the learning of fear may be one mechanism that may be important in the development of PTSD,” said Sabra Inslicht, PhD, a UCSF assistant professor of psychiatry at the SFVAMC, and the lead author of a study published in the Oct. 26 online edition of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
Read more at UCSF.edu