A Biologically Inspired Neural Network Model to Gain Insight Into the Mechanisms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy

Abstract

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a well-established therapeutic method to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, how EMDR exerts its therapeutic action has been studied in many types of research but still needs to be completely understood. This is in part due to limited knowledge of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying EMDR, and in part to our incomplete understanding of PTSD. In order to model PTSD, we used a biologically inspired computational model based on firing rate units, encompassing the cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. Through the modulation of its parameters, we fitted real data from patients treated with EMDR or classical exposure therapy. This allowed us to gain insights into PTSD mechanisms and to investigate how EMDR achieves trauma remission.

Psychological Treatment Variant With Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: A Case Report

“…However, how EMDR exerts its therapeutic action has been studied in many types of research but has yet to be fully understood. 17 In our case, the established protocol did not give the expected result; the desensitization by rapid eye movements of the traumatic events did not produce any change in the subjective perception of the disturbance in a first attempt following the steps of the protocol, which is; initiating desensitization through the traumatic event.…”

Visual EMDR stimulation mitigates acute varied stress effects on morphology of hippocampal neurons in male Wistar rats

“…This reduction in fear was accompanied by a decrease in neuronal excitability within circuits involving the basolateral amygdala ( 62 ), providing pioneering evidence of the neurobiological effects of EMDR in a murine model. Furthermore, Mattera and colleagues propose a neural network model in PTSD and EMDR therapy that involves four areas representing the role of sensory cortices, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the PFC ( 63 ). Moreover, clinical studies in humans have demonstrated the effectiveness of EMDR therapy in treating various populations, including infants with post-traumatic stress symptoms ( 64 , 65 ), adults with post-traumatic stress disorder ( 66 , 67 ), and patients resistant to depression treatment ( 68 ).…”

EMDR: dispelling the false memory creation myth in response to Otgaar et al. (2022a)

“…EMDR therapy helps to normalize their activity by facilitating the migration, processing, contextualization, integration, consolidation, or reconsolidation of traumatic memories (Harper et al, 2009 ; Pagani et al, 2011 , 2012 , 2017 ; Landin-Romero et al, 2018 ; Baek et al, 2019 ; Mattera et al, 2022 ).…”