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Is grief hard-wired? Research links brain networks to lasting loss
- The new Trends in Neurosciences review reports that PGD is linked to disruptions in reward-related brain networks, which may explain persistent grief.
- Prolonged grief disorder describes grief that does not ease and lasts beyond six months, affecting about one in every 20 bereaved people and was formally recognized in 2018.
- Neuroimaging studies asked bereaved participants to recall or view reminders of the deceased, implicating the nucleus accumbens, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and insula in desire and emotion.
- Researchers urge larger, longitudinal studies to track recovery in PGD, warning treatments for PGD cannot be effective without identifying affected individuals.
- But the authors caution the field is still in its infancy, relying on small sample studies, and similar neural patterns in depression and post-traumatic stress disorder raise causality questions.
30 Articles
30 Articles
The neurobiology of why some brains cannot move on from loss
For most people, the intense ache that follows the death of a loved one eventually softens, and daily life resumes. But for some, the pain does not ease with time—a condition known as prolonged grief disorder (PGD). In a review published in Trends in Neurosciences, researchers examine what is known about the neurobiology of PGD. The team highlights how disruptions in reward-related brain networks may help explain why grief persists in some indiv…
Long-lasting grief is not a normal sadness, but is obviously also driven by search-like brain processes. New therapies could be used here.
Understanding Long-Term Grief Disorder: Reasons Some Struggle to Move On After a Loved One's Death
Individuals experiencing long-term grief disorder display increased brain activity in response to death-related images, indicating heightened emotional and memory processing. Paul Mansfield/Getty Images While grief is a natural response to loss, for approximately 5% of bereaved individuals, this grief becomes prolonged, evolving into prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Recent research has provided insights into the development [...] The post Underst…
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