German Todorov,Karthikeyan Mayilvahanan,Catarina Cunha,
Embarking on Discovering the Mechanisms of Resilience: Combining Language Use Analysis with Neuroscience
Journal of Brain and Nerves
2020
2733-2284
http://dx.doi.org/10.31487/j.JBN.2020.01.06
https://www.sciencerepository.org/embarking-on-discovering-the-mechanisms-of-resilience-combining-language-use_JBN-2020-1-106 
Abstract: Novel treatments in mental health focus on one’s ability to recover and develop resilience. Current concepts
are based on The Adaptations Level Theory, which describes the ability of resilient individuals to accustom
to new and even downgraded conditions as the new standard, find meaning in trauma, and adapt to new
social settings. However, it is not known which treatments specifically help to build up resilience in patients
and how to reliably screen for it. We hypothesize that by analyzing mechanisms of behavior and physiology
in resilient individuals, we will be able to strengthen these in people that are struggling to bounce back.
Recent studies demonstrated that distinct patterns of language use correlated with various mental health
conditions. Utilizing text samples from Holocaust survivors, we compared language use in resilient
individuals to people with PTSD and the general population. The Holocaust survivors' language use was
significantly different from PTSD sufferers, which suggests that we detected a possible resilience word use
pattern. Next, we looked into the brain circuitry mechanisms that could be involved in resilience. We found
that norepinephrine, the key neurotransmitter in stress response, modulated the activity of amygdala
circuitry in a non-linear concentration-dependent manner. The shape and other characteristics of this
dependency could be associated with the capacity for resilience.Keywords: Norepinephrine, resilience, natural language analysis, GABA