First responders who helped with rescue and recovery at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, were exposed to high levels of trauma, yet some of them were less likely to develop long-term stress disorders and other mental health issues than others.
New research could help explain why.
In a study, about 90 Sept. 11 first responders shared their medical and mental health information, and researchers split them into three groups: Some were “highly resilient,” meaning they had been exposed to significant trauma but didn’t develop long-term mental health issues. A second group had been exposed to similar levels of trauma and had developed PTSD. A third group had less exposure to trauma but also no PTSD.
Participants played a game while in a brain scanner and sometimes got rewards, like winning 50 cents. They were given cues when those rewards were coming.
The highly resilient participants had more activation in two regions of the brain associated with rewards when they were anticipating the prizes. The volunteers with PTSD had less activation when prizes were coming.
These brain regions — the nucleus accumbens and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex — are important for motivation and experiencing emotions such as optimism and hope.
“It’s already known that individuals with PTSD have a dampened ability to experience positive emotions, pleasure, connection with others,” said Adriana Feder, lead researcher and professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Feder said the findings could lead to new treatments for PTSD that help train the brain to anticipate positive outcomes.
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