ARNMD meeting examines psychological and neurological aspects of PTSDs and traumatic brain injuries

Dec 17 2009

War is hell, as the old saying goes -- with loss of life and limb, destruction of infrastructure and the environment, and devastating costs. Recent biomedical research has shed light on another pernicious consequence of military conflict: psychological and neurological conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. At the same time, researchers have worked to uncover some of the motives and meanings of war.

The 89th Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease (ARNMD), organized by the ARNMD in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and held today at The Rockefeller University, examines the psychological and neurological aspects of war from a variety of perspectives -- from the experience of a Marine colonel during wartime and a presentation on "the mind of the terrorist," to a lecture on preventing mass violence given by Weill Cornell Medical College's Dr. David A. Hamburg, a leading expert on genocide.

"In the context of ongoing military conflict and extremist violence in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, it is ever more important that we work to ameliorate the consequences of war as it affects the physical and mental health of combatants and non-combatants alike. At the same time, we endeavor to better understand and address some of the underlying motivations that perpetuate violence," says Dr. Jack Barchas, conference coordinator and chairman of the ARNMD Board of Trustees, the Barklie McKee Henry Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, and psychiatrist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Hamburg, the recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom and co-writer of the recent documentary "Preventing Genocide"; Dr. Nathaniel Laor, professor of child psychiatry and director of the Cohen-Harris Center for Trauma and Disaster Intervention, Tel Aviv; Dr. Jerrold M. Post, professor of political science at Georgetown University; and U.S. Marine Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, a homicide prosecutor in New York City, author of "Thieves of Baghdad," and recipient of the National Humanities Medal and the Bronze Star.

Panel sessions address cutting-edge research, treatment approaches and public policy issues with the goal of creating an agenda for further inquiry and action. Highlights include the following:
* Improving treatment for PTSD and related conditions using emerging technologies. Dr. JoAnn Difede, conference coordinator and associate professor of psychology in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and director of the program for anxiety and traumatic stress at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, will discuss her research into virtual-reality exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder for survivors of the World Trade Center attack and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
* Treating traumatic brain injury. Moderated by Dr. Timothy A. Pedley, professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and neurologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, the panel session will focus on neurological aspects of trauma-related brain injury and ways to assess and treat it.
* Addressing PTSD and related disorders -- including depression, anxiety, suicide and substance abuse -- among veterans and their families. Panelists will offer perspectives on stress, hormones and biological markers in PTSD, and monitoring, screening, referrals and treatment outcomes.