Essay Example on the Effect of Trauma on Memory

Trauma can hurt an individual's memory. For instance, trauma slows the brain capacity to conceptualize ideas quickly. Trauma affects the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex part of the Central Nervous System. Trauma can change the normal function of the brain (Hsu et al., 2018). Either Trauma can cause memory lapses because it can cause daydreaming. A traumatic person is found in forgetting every time. Trauma makes the victim sweat profusely even if the weather is cold. Either, trauma causes the brain to stimulate the abnormal production of adrenaline hormone, which is released into the bloodstream affecting the normal body function of the victim. Similarly, Trauma is related to the increased "cortisol" as well as "norepinephrine responses to subsequent stressors" (Farmer et al., 1999).

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Consequently, Trauma can result in "antidepressants" which automatically adversely hippocampus that will attempt to respond to the effect of the traumatic stress. Trauma equally escalates the function of the amygdala part of the Central Nervous System. It causes a decreased role of the medial prefrontal of the brain (Taylor, 2017). Trauma can result in post-traumatic stress disorder, which can affect the lives of the victims since it causes depression to the Central Nervous System. Depression can have a long term effect on the individual as he can be seen talking to himself or herself. An individual can be affected by intrusive thinking as well as having "hyperarousal" (Bremner, 2006). Either, a victim can have a sleepless nightmare since the brain Hypothalamus that controls sleeping become affected. Moreover, trauma changes the memory's concentration as well as changes in memory and attention and startling the responses given by the traumatic victim (Segovia, Strange & Takarangi, 2017). Eventually, trauma changes "neurochemical systems" and specific brain regions resulting in long-term circuits of the changes in the brain (Bremner, (2005).

Reference

Bremner, J. D. (2005). Effects of traumatic stress on brain structure and function: relevance to early responses to trauma. Journal of trauma & dissociation, 6(2), 51-68.

Bremner, J. D. (2006). Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 8(4), 445.

Farmer, J. E., Haut, J. S., Williams, J., Kapila, C., Johnstone, B., & Kirk, K. S. (1999). Comprehensive Assessment of Memory Functioning Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Children. Developmental Neuropsychology, 15(2), 269.

Hsu, C.-M. K., Kleim, B., Nicholson, E. L., Zuj, D. V., Cushing, P. J., Gray, K. E., ... Felmingham, K. L. (2018). Sex differences in intrusive memories following trauma. PLoS ONE, 13(12), 1-14

Segovia, D. A., Strange, D., & Takarangi, M. K. (2017). Trauma memories on trial: is cross-examination a safeguard against distorted analog traumatic memories?. Memory, 25(1), 95-106.

Taylor, C. C. (2017). Mass violence, trauma, and their children. Reviews in Anthropology, 46(2/3), 125-145