Biomaterial Database

Dissociative flashbacks after right frontal injury in a vietnam veteran with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. 2001

M L Berthier, and A Posada, and C Puentes

Department of Medicine and Dermatology, University of Málaga, Spain. mberthier@telenet.es

A Vietnam veteran with a combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder developed recurrent dissociative flashbacks (related to the atrocities of a specific war incident) several months after suffering a traumatic brain injury. CT disclosed a small lesion in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. SPECT demonstrated more extensive functional changes in prefrontal and anterior paralimbic brain regions, mainly in the right hemisphere. This case further implicates the provocative effect of physical stimuli (brain damage) in reawakening old dormant memories and the preferential role of the right hemisphere for the storage of traumatic memories.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008032	Limbic System	A set of forebrain structures common to all mammals that is defined functionally and anatomically. It is implicated in the higher integration of visceral, olfactory, and somatic information as well as homeostatic responses including fundamental survival behaviors (feeding, mating, emotion). For most authors, it includes the AMYGDALA; EPITHALAMUS; GYRUS CINGULI; hippocampal formation (see HIPPOCAMPUS); HYPOTHALAMUS; PARAHIPPOCAMPAL GYRUS; SEPTAL NUCLEI; anterior nuclear group of thalamus, and portions of the basal ganglia. (Parent, Carpenter's Human Neuroanatomy, 9th ed, p744; NeuroNames, http://rprcsgi.rprc.washington.edu/neuronames/index.html (September 2, 1998)).	Limbic Systems,System, Limbic,Systems, Limbic
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009483	Neuropsychological Tests	Tests designed to assess neurological function associated with certain behaviors. They are used in diagnosing brain dysfunction or damage and central nervous system disorders or injury.	Aphasia Tests,Cognitive Test,Cognitive Testing,Cognitive Tests,Memory for Designs Test,Neuropsychological Testing,AX-CPT,Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome,CANTAB,Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery,Clock Test,Cognitive Function Scanner,Continuous Performance Task,Controlled Oral Word Association Test,Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System,Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment,Hooper Visual Organization Test,NEPSY,Neuropsychologic Tests,Neuropsychological Test,Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test,Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status,Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure,Symbol Digit Modalities Test,Test of Everyday Attention,Test, Neuropsychological,Tests, Neuropsychological,Tower of London Test,Neuropsychologic Test,Test, Cognitive,Testing, Cognitive,Testing, Neuropsychological,Tests, Cognitive
D011939	Mental Recall	The process whereby a representation of past experience is elicited.	Recall, Mental
D001931	Brain Mapping	Imaging techniques used to colocalize sites of brain functions or physiological activity with brain structures.	Brain Electrical Activity Mapping,Functional Cerebral Localization,Topographic Brain Mapping,Brain Mapping, Topographic,Functional Cerebral Localizations,Mapping, Brain,Mapping, Topographic Brain
D003130	Combat Disorders	Neurotic reactions to unusual, severe, or overwhelming military stress.	Neuroses, War,War Neuroses,Combat Neuroses,Combat Neurosis,Combat Stress Disorders,Shell Shock,War Neurosis,Combat Disorder,Combat Stress Disorder,Disorder, Combat,Disorder, Combat Stress,Disorders, Combat,Disorders, Combat Stress,Neuroses, Combat,Neurosis, Combat,Neurosis, War,Shell Shocks,Shock, Shell,Shocks, Shell,Stress Disorder, Combat,Stress Disorders, Combat
D004213	Dissociative Disorders	Sudden temporary alterations in the normally integrative functions of consciousness.	Dissociation,Fugue,Hysteria, Dissociative,Dissociative Reaction,Disorder, Dissociative,Disorders, Dissociative,Dissociative Disorder,Dissociative Hysteria,Dissociative Reactions,Hysterias, Dissociative,Reaction, Dissociative,Reactions, Dissociative
D004292	Dominance, Cerebral	Dominance of one cerebral hemisphere over the other in cerebral functions.	Cerebral Dominance,Hemispheric Specialization,Dominances, Cerebral,Specialization, Hemispheric
D005625	Frontal Lobe	The part of the cerebral hemisphere anterior to the central sulcus, and anterior and superior to the lateral sulcus.	Brodmann Area 8,Brodmann's Area 8,Frontal Cortex,Frontal Eye Fields,Lobus Frontalis,Supplementary Eye Field,Area 8, Brodmann,Area 8, Brodmann's,Brodmanns Area 8,Cortex, Frontal,Eye Field, Frontal,Eye Field, Supplementary,Eye Fields, Frontal,Frontal Cortices,Frontal Eye Field,Frontal Lobes,Lobe, Frontal,Supplementary Eye Fields