Leo Sher, M.D.

The book, “Neurobiology of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder” edited by me and Alexander Vilens has just been published by Nova Science Publishers (New York, 2010, 376 pages). We hope that this book is an important contribution to medical sciences and will promote fruitful international collaboration that will enhance and expand academic research and health care programs around the world.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and severe psychiatric disorder precipitated by exposure to a psychologically distressing event. PTSD is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. PTSD is characterized by the presence of three distinct, but co-occurring, symptom clusters. Reexperiencing symptoms describe spontaneous, often insuppressible intrusions of the traumatic memory in the form of images or nightmares that are accompanied by intense physiological distress. Avoidance symptoms involve restricting thoughts and distancing oneself from reminders of the event, as well as more generalized emotional and social withdrawal. Hyperarousal symptoms reflect more overt physiological manifestations, such as insomnia, irritability, impaired concentration. The estimated lifetime prevalence of PTSD among adult Americans is about 8%, with women (10%) twice as likely as men (5%) to have PTSD at some point in their lives.

Research evidence suggests that PTSD has a neurobiological basis. Stressful events in early life affect the neural circuit associated with fear related processes, and consequently may alter the lifelong sensitivity to emotional stress. Current research on the neurobiology of PTSD includes the utilization of functional brain imaging; molecular genetic research; the incorporation of cross-system research including neuroendocrine, neurochemical, and neuroimmunological systems. The future of PTSD neurobiological research will center upon efforts to integrate the disparate findings within and among numerous biological systems.

This book is dedicated to research on the neurobiology of PTSD. The contributors to this book are the leading international experts in biological psychiatry and neuroscience. The following scholars have written chapters for this book (in alphabetical order): Mario Amore (Italy), Ananda B. Amstadter (USA), Lia R.M. Bevilaqua (Brasil), Petr Bob (Czech Republic), David Borsook (USA), S. Marc Breedlove (USA), Hou Cailan (China), M. Cammarota (Brasil), Yang Chunlan (China), George P. Chrousos (Greece), Roberto Ciccocioppo (Italy), Edmond I. Eger (USA), Igor Elman (USA), Michael S. Fanselow (USA), George A. Fraser (Canada), Gilberto Gerra (Austria), Maria Lidia Gerra (Italy), Mitsunari Habukawa (Japan), Gao Hongjian (China), I. Izquierdo (Brazil), Anke Karl (UK), Noriyuki Kitayama (Japan), Mitsuhiro Kawata (Japan), Karestan C. Koenen (USA), Gerasimos Kolaitis (Greece), Viviane Labrie (Canada), Jeffrey Chee Leong Looi (Australia), Steven Lowen (USA), Masaharu Maeda (Japan), Icro Maremmani (Italy), Machiko Matsumoto (Japan), J.H. Medina (Argentina), Thomas R. Minor (USA), Davide Nardo (Italy), Nicole R. Nugent (USA), Marco Pagani (Sweden), Panagiota Pervanidou (Greece), Anh K. Pham (USA), Traci N. Plumb (USA), Sirko Rabe (Germany), Beverley Raphael (Australia), Arun V. Ravindran (Canada), Lakshmi N. Ravindran (Canada), Vinuta Rau (USA), John C. Roder (Canada), Uta Sailer (Austria), Hirotaka Sakamoto (Japan), Christopher J. Schell (USA), Leo Sher (USA), Wu Shuicai (China), Lorenzo Somaini (Italy), Murray B. Stein (USA), Hiroko Togashi (Japan), Evelyne Tschibelu (USA), Magda Tsolaki (Greece), Naohisa Uchimura (Japan), Lars-Olof Wahlund (Sweden), Bai Yanping (China), Amir Zaimovic (Italy), Kristyn Zajac (USA).