Project Summary

Hagit Cohen, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2003) of Ben Gurion University, will investigate post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is associated with marked abnormalities in the endocrine system such as disturbances in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. Recent focus has also been on neuropeptides and immunologic markers in the search for a better understanding of PTSD.  Numerous animal models have been designed to study the effects of intense stressful experiences on bio-behavioral responses.  Dr. Cohen proposes to distinguish and analyze separately, the behavior of rats that respond in an exaggerated manner to an event that resembles an original traumatic event.  This mimics the posttraumatic stress response in humans.  The rats will be tested for PTSD associated behaviors such as anxiety-like behavior, for cognitive deficits, HPA axis functioning and neuro-hormonal, neuro-peptide and immunological markers.

Program Area: ANXIETY DISORDERS\Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

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