New research sheds light on fight or flight response in veterans with PTSD
July 07, 2017
A recent study seeks to explain why veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at an increased risk for heart disease and high blood pressure. Researchers are attributing the threat to the intense “fight or flight” response that combat veterans experience during moments of mental stress.
Findings from previous research show that veterans have an overactive sympathetic nervous system, otherwise known as the fight or flight response. In a first-of-its-kind study, Emory University School of Medicine assistant professor Dr. Jeanie Park attempted to measure the response directly and to learn about the possible mechanism behind it.
Park and her team exposed 14 combat veterans with PSTD and 14 without the condition to two forms of mental stress. The first type was combat-related mental stress in which war sounds and images were conveyed using virtual reality headsets. The second type was noncombat-related stress through mental arithmetic. Both groups had their heart activity and blood pressure monitored.
In addition to having higher levels of adrenaline, veterans with PTSD were found to possess less control over their heart rate in response to changes in blood pressure. The results could inform further research and PTSD treatment for veterans.
“To protect patients against high blood pressure and heart disease, we need to first understand how their physiology malfunctions. We can then identify potential treatments,” commented Park.
The researchers emphasized the fact that their study specifically examined veterans with combat-related PTSD. As a result, the findings may not be applicable to other patients whose PTSD is not linked to combat.