PTSD patients show reduced pain sensitivity

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) show reduced pain sensitivity, a pattern that may be related to altered pain processing in the brain, according to a new report. In the study, Dutch doctors examined neural correlates of pain processing in patients with PTSD. Twelve male Dutch veterans with PTSD and 12 male veterans without PTSD were recruited and matched for age, region of deployment and year of deployment. {openx:269} The experimental procedure consisted of psychophysical assessment and neuroimaging with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)- the use of magnetic resonance imaging to learn which regions of the brain are active in…