Full Description
This book provides a structured, multidisciplinary synthesis of the psychological, social, and neurobiological consequences of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It outlines how contemporary therapeutic strategies, considered through the lens of the concept of synaptic rehabilitation, can intervene in this devastating condition. Through 17 chapters, the volume journeys from first-hand testimony to molecular mechanisms, mapping how war-induced trauma distorts brain function, cognition, and social behaviour, and how these changes may be reversed. The book's point of departure is personal: a historical account of an Australian World War I veteran ("Pop"), whose experience at the battle for the Somme in France reveals not only the acute horrors of trench warfare but the intergenerational consequences of unresolved PTSD. From this foundation, the text proceeds through empirical research, clinical instruments, neurobiological models, and therapeutic techniques. Each chapter builds upon the last in order to provide a coherent clinical and neurophysiological narrative.
Contents
Chapter 1: Australian Veterans and 'Shell Shock' in World War I.- Chapter 2: Clinical Identification of PTSD.- Chapter 3: Combat Experience Leading to PTSD.- Chapter 4: Suicidality Comorbid with PTSD.- Chapter 5: Criminality Comorbid with PTSD.- Chapter 6: Family Impact of a Veteran's PTSD.- Chapter 7: Psychotherapies for PTSD.- Chapter 8: Pharmacotherapies for PTSD.- Chapter 9: Impact of Social Support on Veterans' PTSD Symptoms.- Chapter 10: Cortical Grey Matter Loss Accompanying PTSD and Its Consequences.- Chapter 11: Restoring Grey Matter through Treatment.- Chapter 12: Grey Matter Volume Changes and Synaptic Alterations.- Chapter 13: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Synapse Loss and Replacement in Mood and Stress Disorders: BDNF and Microglia.- Chapter 14: Abnormalities in Resting State Networks in PTSD and Treatment with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).- Chapter 15: Abnormalities in Resting State Networks in PTSD and Treatment with Electroencephalography (EEG) and Neurofeedback Interventions.- Chapter 16: Comparison of Psychotherapies, Pharmacotherapies and Neurotherapies for PTSD.- Chapter 17: Dissociative PTSD Explained by Failure of Dendritic Integration of Synapses on Cortical Layer 5 Pyramidal Neurones.
