Amygdala volumetric change after treatment with EMDR or prolonged exposure
Description
This presentation will outline a recent study in which 20 adult patients with PTSD (CAPS diagnosis) were randomly assigned 12 sessions of either EMDR or Prolonged Exposure (PE). Clinical ratings (CAPS, PCL, Ham A, Ham D) were administered before and after treatment and there was a six week wait list period for each patient prior to therapy. MRI brain scans were administered before and after treatment for both treatment groups.
Subsequent analysis of clinical findings, volumetric change in brain structures known to be relevant in fear conditioning, and correlations of brain changes with clinical changes and with number of discrete traumas addressed in therapy will be presented and discussed. Both treatment groups improved significantly on all major clinical measures. Initial structural analysis has focussed on the amygdala and indicates a significant increase in left amygdala following EMDR but not following PE. No correlation was found between improvement in PTSD symptoms and increase in left amygdala. However a correlation was found between number of discrete traumas addressed in therapy and changes in amygdala volume.
To our knowledge this is the first study to compare structural brain changes following EMDR and PE and initial analysis of the amygdala changes indicates a possible difference in the biological effects of these two therapies. This difference may be due to more traumas being addressed within 12 EMDR sessions than 12 PE sessions. Further analysis of this rich data set will be undertaken and integrated into the presentation prior to the meeting within the context of the existing literature.
Subsequent analysis of clinical findings, volumetric change in brain structures known to be relevant in fear conditioning, and correlations of brain changes with clinical changes and with number of discrete traumas addressed in therapy will be presented and discussed. Both treatment groups improved significantly on all major clinical measures. Initial structural analysis has focussed on the amygdala and indicates a significant increase in left amygdala following EMDR but not following PE. No correlation was found between improvement in PTSD symptoms and increase in left amygdala. However a correlation was found between number of discrete traumas addressed in therapy and changes in amygdala volume.
To our knowledge this is the first study to compare structural brain changes following EMDR and PE and initial analysis of the amygdala changes indicates a possible difference in the biological effects of these two therapies. This difference may be due to more traumas being addressed within 12 EMDR sessions than 12 PE sessions. Further analysis of this rich data set will be undertaken and integrated into the presentation prior to the meeting within the context of the existing literature.
Format
Conference
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Laugharne, J. (2014, June). Amygdala volumetric change after treatment with EMDR or prolonged exposure. In EMDR neurobiology research symposium (Peter Liebermann, Chair). Symposium presented at the 15th EMDR Europe Association Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland
Citation
“Amygdala volumetric change after treatment with EMDR or prolonged exposure,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed April 30, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/22892.