Lifelong impact of extreme stress on the human brain: Holocaust
survivors study

J 2021

Lifelong impact of extreme stress on the human brain: Holocaust survivors study

FŇAŠKOVÁ, Monika, Pavel ŘÍHA, Marek PREISS, Petr BOB, Markéta NEČASOVÁ et. al.

Basic information

Original name

Lifelong impact of extreme stress on the human brain: Holocaust survivors study

Authors

FŇAŠKOVÁ, Monika (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Pavel ŘÍHA (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Marek PREISS (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Petr BOB (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Markéta NEČASOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Eva KORIŤÁKOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Ivan REKTOR (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution)

Edition

NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS, NEW YORK, ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC, 2021, 2352-2895

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

30103 Neurosciences

Country of publisher

United States of America

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 7.142

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14740/21:00124263

Organization unit

Central European Institute of Technology

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100318

UT WoS

000651603900007

Keywords in English

Holocaust survivors; MRI; Posttraumatic stress; Posttraumatic growth; Lifelong impact

Abstract

V originále

Background: We aimed to assess the lifelong impact of extreme stress on people who survived the Holocaust. We hypothesised that the impact of extreme trauma is detectable even after more than 70 years of an often complicated and stressful post-war life. Methods: Psychological testing was performed on 44 Holocaust survivors (HS; median age 81.5 years; 29 women; 26 HS were under the age of 12 years in 1945) and 31 control participants without a personal or family history of the Holocaust (control group (CG); median 80 years; 17 women). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the 3T Siemens Prisma scanner was performed on 29 HS (median 79 years; 18 women) and 21 CG participants (median 80 years; 11 women). The MRI-tested subgroup that had been younger than 12 years old in 1945 was composed of 20 HS (median 79 years; 17 women) and 21 CG (median 80 years; 11 women). Results: HS experienced significantly higher frequency of depression symptoms, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and posttraumatic growth, and lower levels of well-being. The MRI shows a lifelong neurobiological effect of extreme stress. The areas with reduced grey matter correspond to the map of the impact of stress on the brain structure: insula, anterior cingulate, ventromedial cortex including the subgenual cingulate/orbitofrontal cortex, temporal pole, prefrontal cortex, and angular gyrus. HS showed good adjustment to post-war life conditions. Psychological growth may contribute to compensation for the psychological and neurobiological consequences of extreme stress. The reduction of GM was significantly expressed also in the subgroup of participants who survived the Holocaust during their childhood. Conclusion: The lifelong psychological and neurobiological changes in people who survived extreme stress were identified more than 70 years after the Holocaust. Extreme stress in childhood and young adulthood has an irreversible lifelong impact on the brain.

Links

90062, large research infrastructures

Name: Czech-BioImaging

Citovat

FŇAŠKOVÁ, Monika, Pavel ŘÍHA, Marek PREISS, Petr BOB, Markéta NEČASOVÁ, Eva KORIŤÁKOVÁ and Ivan REKTOR. Lifelong impact of extreme stress on the human brain: Holocaust survivors study. NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS. NEW YORK: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC, 2021, vol. 14, May 2021, p. 1-10. ISSN 2352-2895. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100318.

@article{1836539,
   author = {Fňašková, Monika and Říha, Pavel and Preiss, Marek and Bob, Petr and Nečasová, Markéta and Koriťáková, Eva and Rektor, Ivan},
   article_location = {NEW YORK},
   article_number = {May 2021},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100318},
   keywords = {Holocaust survivors; MRI; Posttraumatic stress; Posttraumatic growth; Lifelong impact},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {2352-2895},
   journal = {NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS},
   title = {Lifelong impact of extreme stress on the human brain: Holocaust survivors study},
   url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352289521000266?via%3Dihub},
   volume = {14},
   year = {2021}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 1836539
AU  - Fňašková, Monika - Říha, Pavel - Preiss, Marek - Bob, Petr - Nečasová, Markéta - Koriťáková, Eva - Rektor, Ivan
PY  - 2021
TI  - Lifelong impact of extreme stress on the human brain: Holocaust survivors study
JF  - NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS
VL  - 14
IS  - May 2021
SP  - 1-10
EP  - 1-10
PB  - ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
SN  - 23522895
KW  - Holocaust survivors
KW  - MRI
KW  - Posttraumatic stress
KW  - Posttraumatic growth
KW  - Lifelong impact
UR  - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352289521000266?via%3Dihub
N2  - Background: We aimed to assess the lifelong impact of extreme stress on people who survived the Holocaust. We hypothesised that the impact of extreme trauma is detectable even after more than 70 years of an often complicated and stressful post-war life. Methods: Psychological testing was performed on 44 Holocaust survivors (HS; median age 81.5 years; 29 women; 26 HS were under the age of 12 years in 1945) and 31 control participants without a personal or family history of the Holocaust (control group (CG); median 80 years; 17 women). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the 3T Siemens Prisma scanner was performed on 29 HS (median 79 years; 18 women) and 21 CG participants (median 80 years; 11 women). The MRI-tested subgroup that had been younger than 12 years old in 1945 was composed of 20 HS (median 79 years; 17 women) and 21 CG (median 80 years; 11 women). Results: HS experienced significantly higher frequency of depression symptoms, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and posttraumatic growth, and lower levels of well-being. The MRI shows a lifelong neurobiological effect of extreme stress. The areas with reduced grey matter correspond to the map of the impact of stress on the brain structure: insula, anterior cingulate, ventromedial cortex including the subgenual cingulate/orbitofrontal cortex, temporal pole, prefrontal cortex, and angular gyrus. HS showed good adjustment to post-war life conditions. Psychological growth may contribute to compensation for the psychological and neurobiological consequences of extreme stress. The reduction of GM was significantly expressed also in the subgroup of participants who survived the Holocaust during their childhood. Conclusion: The lifelong psychological and neurobiological changes in people who survived extreme stress were identified more than 70 years after the Holocaust. Extreme stress in childhood and young adulthood has an irreversible lifelong impact on the brain.
ER  -

FŇAŠKOVÁ, Monika, Pavel ŘÍHA, Marek PREISS, Petr BOB, Markéta NEČASOVÁ, Eva KORIŤÁKOVÁ and Ivan REKTOR. Lifelong impact of extreme stress on the human brain: Holocaust survivors study. \textit{NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS}. NEW YORK: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC, 2021, vol.~14, May 2021, p.~1-10. ISSN~2352-2895. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100318.

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