Quake trauma may alter brain
People who experienced Canterbury’s earthquakes may have brain changes similar to those who were close to the World Trade Centre during the September 11 terror attack in the US, researchers believe.
The new research involves scanning the brains of 60 people who lived through the devastating 2010 and 2011 earthquakes who do not have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other diagnosed psychological issues. Some people in the control group experienced significant personal loss but not all, as the group is intended to be representative.
Results from the MRI scans will be compared against 60 people from Dunedin. Based on international findings, the researchers expect the Canterbury group will display a hyperactive threat processing response. However, the study will not finish until next June and there are no results yet as the Dunedin scans have not been done.
The new research, part of a wider study into the psychological impacts of the earthquakes, is being conducted by the New Zealand Brain Research Institute and Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, with funding from The Neurological Foundation.
Institute research associate Dr Nadia Borlase said the point of the research was to understand the long-term effects of trauma exposure on the brains of resilient people.
‘‘People who survive a traumatic event and do not have PTSD, like our control group, are more likely to be overlooked for treatment. Our research is indicating trauma from the earthquake is still likely to have an impact on the brain, which could lead to other effects in their lifetime.’’
The devastating February 2011 earthquake killed 185 people, injured thousands more and – along with the 2010 earthquake – resulted in the full or partial demolition of more than 1300 buildings in central Christchurch. Following the earthquakes, mental health services had a huge increase in demand; the local health boss has likened the response to a wartime recovery effort.
Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) mental health acting general manager Barbara Wilson said the board acknowledged the unique pressures the Canterbury community had been under in recent years.
The CDHB was supporting 700 more people every month in its adult general mental health service than pre-quake and 500 more people every month in its child and youth service.
Between 2011-12 and 2018-19, there had been a 196 per cent increase in mental health crisis assessments at Christchurch Hospital’s emergency department, increasing from 700 to 1800 assessments per year.
Borlase said research after traumatic events focused on people who developed PTSD and not on those who did not. Years after September 11, 2001, American
studies found healthy adults who were near the World Trade Centre had brains that were more reactive to emotional stimuli and had less grey matter in key emotion centres compared to those living further away when the terror attack happened.
While they were not comparable events, it was not unreasonable to believe there would be similarities with the people who experienced the earthquakes, Borlase said.
Researchers had scanned most or all of the Christchurch subjects, but had only done a handful of people in Dunedin, she said. While their brains were being scanned, the research subjects were shown a series of images, some of which were ‘‘nasty’’, such as car crashes, and some of which were ‘‘nice’’.
What researchers expected to see was the ‘‘communication pathways’’ light up in response to the ‘‘nasty’’ pictures compared to the ‘‘nice ones’’, Borlase said.
People could have a hyperactive threat response and ‘‘feel fine’’, Borlase said.
‘‘We’re just not sure long-term impact of that.’’ of the