There’s another under-reported side effect of war.

With many veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones, there’s a rising urgency to find more effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PTSD is an anxiety disorder triggered by exposure to traumatic events. Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks.

Using dramatic brain images, a leading San Francisco neurologist, physicist Norbert Schuff, recently illustrated to colleagues the enormous effect that PTSD has on the brain.

Atrophy in the brain

The brain images of soldiers diagnosed with PTSD showed atrophy in the hippocampus, an area of the brain connected to short-term memory and emotions.

At the same time, the images showed increased blood flow in the prefrontal cortex, a region which is responsible for conflict resolution and decision-making.

Additionally he showed that the brain images of soldiers diagnosed with PTSD had lost five to ten percent of gray matter volume which indicates neuron damage.

Gray matter loss

Pentagon officials are estimating that 30 percent of veterans returning from the two wars will suffer from PTSD and over 40,000 of the returning soldiers have already been diagnosed with it.

Short term side effects can include anti-social behavior like alcohol and drug abuse and long-term can lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

These studies and others were part of a Veterans Administration conference in San Francisco called “The Brain at War: Neurocognitive Consequences of Combat.”

Not just major trauma

Col. Karl Friedl, director of the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, explained why brain injuries have become more prevalent.

Widespread use by the enemy of improvised explosive devices, or IED’s, has caused more brain injuries. In some cases the injuries are mild, resulting in missed diagnoses. But multiple mild brain injuries can take a toll and the effects can become severe.

Some treatments are in the works

Researchers at the conference announced a few promising treatments:

• A blood or gene test that would help diagnose PTSD more accurately.
• A nasal spray which stops the brain swelling that occurs as a result of the trauma. Soldiers would be issued the spray for the battlefield.
• A drug called D-cycloserine, which was used as an antibiotic for tuberculosis, has been proven to help lab animals unlearn fear responses. It would be used to help victims discuss their traumatic experiences in therapy sessions.
• Methods to improve sleep habits, which can be disrupted by anxiety and nightmares.

You can read more detailed coverage of the conference in this San Francisco Chronicle article.