Trauma and Aging: How to overcome the effects on cognitive functioning?
A medical doctor in the army returned from Iraq haunted by images of an enemy soldier’s body lying off to the side of the road. The fluttering white flag grasped in the man’s hand. His legs were shot off. Ten to 12 years later, the MD was again having intrusive memories of this incident. At work, he was having other cognitive issues. The VA doctor ran a series of tests and diagnosed him with early-onset Alzheimer’s which ended his work life. The disease progressed over 8 years and he died in a memory care facility.
Trauma's Impact on Aging
Trauma impacts memory, attention, planning, and problem-solving. The Veterans Administration has research linking the challenges of trauma to cognitive issues of aging. They are using the information to decide what symptoms can be treated and what treatments are most effective. The military population has been studied for studies on aging and trauma because of the higher rate of PTSD in veterans than in the general population. They also have higher incidents of lifetime trauma. Males tend to have accumulated trauma while females show a bell curve for trauma that peaks in middle age.
The Connection Between Trauma and Cognitive Decline During Aging
In aging, trauma can resurface. For instance, the VA has discovered that veterans who appeared fine after combat duty in Vietnam, years later were experiencing PTSD symptoms. The same is happening with veterans serving in Iraq. If not treated, the long-term effects of hyperarousal and sleep disturbance weaken the body. At the same time, these veterans began showing symptoms of dementia or early-onset Alzheimer’s. This study began as a result of the way providers learn about mental health problems. The aging population is known to report physical health rather than mental health symptoms. Besides PTSD there is a higher risk of dementia with traumatic brain injury.
How Trauma Can Affect the Brain
Trauma affects the memory and emotional centers of the brain known as the amygdala. The planning and problem-solving centers in the prefrontal cortex show up differently in brain scans depending on how much trauma the person has experienced and how they experience the trauma. For example, a couple was in the same accident. One person had complex trauma from childhood. They felt paralyzed and stopped thinking. The other one was in flight mode. They were frantically planning to escape being burnt alive in their car.
Promoting Resilience and Well-Being
For best long-term results, early treatment of trauma and PTSD symptoms will give you more options. See your doctor or your mental health professional. You will have a better chance that treatment will help. Making lifestyle changes can help your memory and thinking. Some will participate in clinical trials for Alzheimers to gain access to the most current medications. If you start now, you will have more time to make health changes, financial, and legal plans.
For more immediate benefits, Daniel G. Amen, MD has set up clinics all over the US to perform brain scans to develop treatment plans that include nutrition, medications, ways to think, and approach life and relationships. His goal is for you to improve your brain health, and move your brain away from “despair and grief to a place of happiness, gratitude and love” in Feel Better Fast. and Make it Last.
Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD is one of the top thought leaders on trauma. His book The Body Keeps the Score (2014) addresses the connection between the brain, mind and body in trauma treatment. He studied trauma in Vietnam Veterans and began looking at what happened in the brain. He also talks about love and the connection with healing from trauma. He recommends empowering yourself to treat trauma. Some immediate relief can be gained from EMDR and yoga, music, theatre, religious communal rhythms, and building or rebuilding a social support system.
Know there is hope for you to have a healthier life. You can learn to share your needs and emotions with the people you trust to help you. Facing your trauma history with a healthcare professional and the support of your community is a powerful way to age well and be resilient.
If you’re still feeling frozen or like running, try something new. Take a few long, slow breaths, stretch, and take a walk. Find a reason to help yourself, then call 720-577-5985 or schedule a 15-minute free consult.
Further reading:
Aging Veterans and PTSD. Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/aging_veterans.asp#:~:text=Veterans%20may%20have%20memories%20of,affected%20by%20your%20past%20service.
Sarah Prieto, Kate E. Nolan, Jena N. Moody, Scott M. Hayes & Jasmeet P. Hayes (2023, March 29) Posttraumatic stress symptom severity predicts cognitive decline beyond the effect of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in Veterans. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02354-0.
Andrea Burri, Andreas Maercker, Sandy Krammer, and Keti Simmen-Janevska (2013, Feb 26) Childhood Trauma and PTSD Symptoms Increase the Risk of Cognitive Impairment in a Sample of Former Indentured Child Laborers in Old Age. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3582641/
Veterans and Dementia. Retrieved from https://www.alz.org/help-support/resources/veterans-dementia#:~:text=Veterans%20living%20with%20post%2Dtraumatic,dementia%20risk%2C%20symptoms%20and%20treatment.
Amen, Daniel G. (2018) Feel Better Fast and Make it Last. Illinois: Tyndale Momentum.
Van Der Kolk, Bessel A. (2015) The Body Keeps the Score. NY: Penguin Books.
