Earn 3 CEs while learning how to treat children and teens with Anxiety and OCD

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Q&A: PTSD, Psychological Trauma and Head Injuries

The Royal Institution: Are there effective treatments upcoming for PTSD? What percentage of military personnel suffer from PTSD? Morten Kringelbach and Alexander Wieck Fjaeldstad answer audience questions.

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Physiological benefits may be experienced by veterans with PTSD who use service dogs

A new study shows how veterans with PTSD may benefit physiologically from using service dogs. 

This study, led by the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, is the first published research to use a physiological marker to define the biobehavioral effects of service dogs on veterans with PTSD. 

The findings were published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, and they may be significant as scientific evidence of potential mental health benefits experienced by veterans with PTSD who have service dogs. 

"Our long-term research goal is to quantify how service dogs may affect the health and well-being of military members and veterans with PTSD," O'Haire said. 

The next step, already underway, involves a large-scale National Institutes of Health clinical trial in which the researchers are studying veterans with and without service dogs over an extended period of time. 

Purdue University. "Physiological benefits may be experienced by veterans with PTSD who use service dogs." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 June 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180612083633.htm>.

Journal Reference:

Kerri E. Rodriguez, Crystal I. Bryce, Douglas A. Granger, Marguerite E. O’Haire. The effect of a service dog on salivary cortisol awakening response in a military population with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.04.026

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Some people must work out to save their lives. Why are gyms failing them?

Advances in modern medicine have led doctors to a better understanding of the benefits of exercise in managing a broad range of chronic conditions. Unfortunately, traditional gyms aren’t designed to be accessible.

 

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A neurobiological link between PTSD and addiction

Recalling traumatic memories enhances the rewarding effects of #morphine in male rats, finds new research published in JNeurosci. These findings may help to explain the co-occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addiction.

 

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Dogs with Jobs is a winter lecture series, covering many of the roles that dogs play in the modern world. All proceeds from these presentations will go directly and entirely to the Ottawa Valley Search and Rescue Dog Association, a registered charitable organization.

Seizure Response Service Dogs are trained to perform tasks during or following a seizure to assist their handler.

The tasks they perform may include; getting help for the person having the seizure, activating an emergency response system, stimulating a person to help them “wake up” after a seizure, acting as a brace to help the person stand or sit up, retrieving a telephone or medication, providing emotional support, or helping with over all mobility. Some dogs have the ability to detect seizures before they happen by sensing the pheromone changes that happen in a person just before they have a seizure.

We are grateful to presenter Samantha Cooper of Kingston 4 Paws Service Dogs, for agreeing to come and talk about her experiences selecting, training and fielding service dogs that are trained for many tasks: seizure detection, autism assistance, PTSD, etc.,

This presentation is for humans only, so please leave your dog at home. We're hoping for a full house - so bring along a chair, a note pad and all of your questions!

Start time is 7:00pm. Event is expected to last 1.5 - 2 hrs.

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Former Invictus team captain says a disability can be an asset to employers

Former Invictus Team Captain, A Veteran with PTSD, Says Disability Can be an Asset to Employers

 

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First responder reflects on road to recovery from PTSD

Volunteer Firefighter and Paramedic Talks About Her Recovery from PTSD

 

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Study, Prolonged Stress Linked to Memory Loss

Photo: marianna_armata / flickr / cc by-nc-nd

• Hippocampus responsible for memory and emotion
• Study, chronic stress linked cognitive short-term memory loss;
  • Suggesting loss, a result of immune cell (macrophages) inflammation in hippocampus
• Researchers established this by:
  • Repeatedly stressful stimulation on mice, finding:
    • Stressed, mice couldn't remember exits
    • Non-stressed, mice found maze exits
• Significance of the research:
  • May help develop treatments for
    • Anxiety (a mental illness)
      • A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease
    • Depression (a mental illness)
      • Pervasive and persistent low mood, self-esteem
    • Post-traumatic stress disorder (a mental illness)
      • A condition that's triggered by a terrifying event
• Published in the Journal of Neuroscience

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