Olfaction as a Traumatic Reminder in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Eric H. G. J. M. Vermetten · J. Douglas Bremner

134 citations0/0 files storedThe Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Memory Processes and Influences Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Memory for odors that are associated with intense emotional experiences is often strongly engraved. Odors are claimed to be more closely connected to affect than other sensory experiences. They can serve as potent contextual cues for memory formation and emotional conditioning and can also serve as cues for olfactory flashbacks. Though trauma-related smells have long been noted by clinicians to be precipitants of traumatic memories in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), very few reports have been published that document this. CASE REPORTS: We review olfactory memories and olfactory flashbacks by presenting 3 cases that illustrate the role of olfaction in PTSD. In these cases olfaction is either a precipitant of PTSD symptoms or an important component of reexperiencing. DISCUSSION: In PTSD, seemingly nonspecific cues have the potential to precipitate traumatic memories with strong emotional components. These conditioned responses in PTSD are hypothesized to be mediated by specific brain areas, i.e., amygdala, hippocampus, and orbitofrontal cortex. Questions about smells as a traumatic reminder should be part of the routine assessment of intrusive memories in PTSD. In addition, smells may have the potential to provide cues to exposure situations in therapy or to facilitate de novo conditioning.

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References

1999Neural correlates of exposure to traumatic pictures and sound in Vietnam combat veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder: a positron emission tomography study 1999Neural Correlates of Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Women With and Without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 2000De novo conditioning in trauma-exposed individuals with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.1999Regional Cerebral Blood Flow During Script-Driven Imagery in Childhood Sexual Abuse-Related PTSD: A PET Investigation

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