Dr. John Krystal is the Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Translational Research, Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, the Chair in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Director of the Clinical Neuroscience Division at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD.  He is a leading expert in the areas of alcoholism, schizophrenia, depression and the Neurobiology of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which is the topic we will discuss today. Dr. Krystal’s work is interdisciplinary and links psychopharmacology, neuroimaging, molecular genetics, and computational neuroscience to study the neurobiology and treatment of these disorders. He is best known for leading the discovery of the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine in depressed patients.

Neurobiology of PTSD refers to changes in their brain and body that develop, as a protective response, after a frightening or dangerous event. Other symptoms include intrusive or negative thoughts, avoidance behaviors, becoming easily startled or irritable, feeling like one’s surroundings or oneself is unreal, and problems with sleep. Most people who experience a trauma naturally recover. Those who experience prolonged psychological and physiological symptoms may require treatment.

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Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is not a substitute for getting help from a mental health professional.