Unresolved trauma and neurological diseases

Feb 22, 2026 Features / Columnists, News

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By Dr. Telford Layne Jr. PsyD, MSc. Postgrad, BSc.
Clinical and Developmental Psychologist – Psychoanalyst
Unwrapping Gift – Clinic

(Kaieteur News) – Many people think that Alzheimer’s and dementia are about old age. However, that is only 25% true. The other 75% is those brain diseases are about unresolved childhood traumas rather than ageing. Childhood traumas do two things.

Split us into two personalities: the authentic self and the false self. The authentic self asks for help without feeling like a burden, expresses love without fearing vulnerability, etc. The false self is the survival of you. Stealing rather than humiliation of asking, pushing away love while craving it, shouting down rather than being assertive. Etc.

Trauma and dementia risk are linked; individuals with a history of child maltreatment (physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect) have a higher risk of cognitive impairment in middle age and a higher probability of a positive dementia diagnosis.

Accelerated brain ageing and high trauma exposure accelerate brain ageing and neuro inflammation, potentially making individuals more vulnerable to neurodegenerative diseases.

Biological Mechanisms: Childhood trauma is linked to chronic stress, which leads to higher levels of cortisol. Over a lifetime, this can damage the brain, particularly the hippocampus, which is essential for memory.

So, trauma victims’ brains slip into survival mode, as a result of unhealed traumas, the separation of self, and this mental survival state of the brain and nervous system begins to deteriorate our brains.

The brain’s survival mode starts, let us say, for someone at age 20. In 30-40 years, that is 50-60 years of the individual’s life, their brain begins to malfunction in chronic ways, turning into an irreversible neurodegenerative disease, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, etc.

How Survival Mode Causes Brain Deterioration

When the brain is in a chronic, untreated survival state (often characterised as PTSD or Complex PTSD), it prioritises immediate threats over long-term health. This leads to several, sometimes irreversible, changes:

Hippocampal Shrinkage: The hippocampus, which is responsible for memory formation, shrinks due to chronic exposure to high cortisol levels.

Amygdala Hyperactivity: The “alarm system” of the brain becomes hyperactive, resulting in heightened fear, anxiety, and a constant state of alert.

Prefrontal Cortex Dysfunction: The area responsible for reasoning and emotional regulation becomes less efficient, making it difficult to manage stress.

Neuroinflammation: Chronic stress triggers inflammation, which damages neurons and accelerates neurodegeneration.

Dementia Risk: Individuals with PTSD have a 61% higher risk of developing dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease is caused by prolonged exposure to stress hormones, which cause the brain to accumulate amyloid-β plaques and tau protein tangles, which are the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.

Cognitive decline in midlife, people with unhealed trauma often show significant memory gaps and cognitive decline by middle age (40s-50s).

In women, long-term, high-stress events reduced grey matter volume, implying direct atrophy.

What are childhood traumas again?

Childhood traumas are defined as serious, adverse experiences that occur before the age of 18, which overwhelm a child’s ability to cope, often resulting in lasting impacts on their mental, physical, and emotional health. These experiences involve threats to a child’s safety, security, or bodily integrity, frequently caused by caregivers, family members, or community members.

Abuse: Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

Neglect: Physical neglect (lacking food, shelter, clothes, or medical care) and emotional neglect (feeling unsupported, unloved, or ignored).

Household Dysfunction: Witnessing domestic violence or violence in the home. Living with a household member who has a substance abuse problem. Living with a household member who has a mental illness or is suicidal. Parental separation, divorce, or abandonment. Incarceration of a household member.

Bullying: Repeated in-person or online bullying. Community Violence, exposure to gang violence, school shootings, or war. Systemic Factors: Racism, discrimination, poverty, and homelessness.

Reversibility and Mitigation

The brain has neuroplasticity, meaning it can re-organise and form new connections. However, these changes are generally not reversed without intervention. There is currently no scientifically validated cure to completely “reverse” dementia or Alzheimer’s disease once significant neuro degeneration has occurred.

If dementia is presenting with, or exacerbated by, unresolved trauma (e.g., in cases of PTSD-related cognitive decline), the focus is on treating the trauma, reducing the stress response, and supporting brain health. Specialized interventions can help manage symptoms, slow progression, and address the trauma itself: There is a treatment plan and care approach

1. Trauma-Focused Therapies

It is never too late for therapy. For individuals with dementia who can still participate. Processing the underlying childhood traumas, be it emotional abuse and neglect, mental abuse and neglect, sexual or physical abuse, will always improve emotional regulation and stabilise cognitive function by reducing chronic stress hormones (like cortisol) that damage the brain.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing): Helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories to reduce their ongoing distress. help reprocess traumatic memories and reduce their emotional impact, potentially alleviating agitation and cognitive impairment

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Used to reframe negative thought patterns and manage the psychological impact of past trauma. Identify and avoid triggers such as loud noises, specific people, or, in some cases, certain caregiving techniques that cause fear. Use gentle communication and a calm approach. Sensory Comfort, using tools like weighted blankets, can help soothe, reduce anxiety, and regulate the nervous system, as trauma can leave the brain in a constant state of “fight, flight, or freeze”.

Narrative Therapy: Assists individuals in reshaping their personal life stories to promote healing and integration of traumatic events.

2. Cognitive & Lifestyle Interventions

These strategies aim to build cognitive reserve and maintain independence: Cognitive Rehabilitation, which uses healthy parts of the brain to compensate for impaired areas. Reminiscence and Life Story Work, using photos, music, or keepsakes to improve mood and stimulate memory.

Lifestyle Management, including regular exercise, a heart-healthy diet, and social engagement, can help protect remaining brain function. Get 6 to 8 hours of sleep per day.

Neurofeedback therapy trains the brain to function more efficiently and can help improve memory and focus.

Physical and mental activity: Regular physical exercise (45 minutes, 4 days per week) increases blood and oxygen flow to the brain, which is crucial for reversing some of the neurochemical damage caused by chronic stress. Learn to do new things weekly, e.g., brush your teeth with the less dominant hand.

Social connection and combating loneliness are essential, as social isolation is strongly linked to faster cognitive decline. Make new friends, join a weekly group, etc.

3. Medical Management and Diet

While not a “reversal,” new 2026-era treatments focus on modifying the disease’s biology:

Disease-Modifying Drugs: FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies like lecanemab and donanemab can help “freeze” a person’s current functional state by removing amyloid plaques.

Trauma-Related Medication: In some cases, antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications are prescribed to manage the severe symptoms of unresolved trauma that exacerbate memory issues. Medication for childhood trauma should be a last resort, if at all.

Core Brain-Healthy Foods. Leafy Green Vegetables: Aim for 6+ servings per week (e.g., spinach, kale, collards). Berries: Strawberries and blueberries are prioritised over other fruits for their antioxidant properties. Nuts and Beans weekly. Small cups of water, fruit with high water content (like watermelon), or smoothies throughout the day.

B Vitamins (B6, B9/folate, B12): These vitamins help lower homocysteine levels, an amino acid in the blood linked to brain shrinkage and increased dementia risk.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Particularly DHA. Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Magnesium

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• Dr. Telford Layne, neurological diseases, Psychologist, Trauma

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