Brain Region May Govern Resilience to Trauma
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/07/12/hscout526766.html"It may not be thick skin that protects you from emotional pain, but a thick brain.
Scientists have discovered that variations in the size of an area of the brain called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex may explain why some people recover from trauma better than others. Specifically, people with a thicker ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) exhibited better ability to inhibit fear.
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Some people associate certain cues with traumatic memories so that, when they are exposed to the cue, the memory comes flooding back. In other words, certain sounds or sights trigger a recall of the previous, traumatic experience. The most obvious example of this is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
For most people, this sensitivity diminishes over time and the fearful response goes away, something called "extinction memory." For others, however, the fear persists.
..."Any bets on just how thin Georgie's* ventromedial prefrontal cortex is?