Neurobiological and psychophysiological determinants of anxiety disorders as targets for medico-psychological rehabilitation of military personnel

Chorna V.V.,Pashkovskyi S.M.,Ordatii N.M.,Anhelska V.Yu.,Shemet V.S.

Main
Publications
Neurobiological and psychophysiological determinants of anxiety disorders as targets for medico-psychological rehabilitation of military personnel

April 23, 2026

Neurology and Psychiatry

УДК: 616.89-008.44:355.1

DOI: 10.32471/umj.1680-3051.275646

Keywords :

medical rehabilitation,

military personnel,

neuroinflammation,

neuroplasticity,

psychological rehabilitation

Specialities :

Neurology and Psychiatry

Military medicine

Resume

Full-scale war has significantly altered the psycho-emotional landscape of Ukrainian society, with a particularly destructive impact on military personnel. This creates an urgent need to investigate the development of anxiety disorders at the molecular-biological level in order to develop effective rehabilitation programs. The main objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the neurobiological mechanisms of anxiety as potential targets for medical and psychological rehabilitation. Particular attention is paid to the theory of allostatic load, aspects of neuroimmunology, and recent scientific publications from 2021 to 2025. Methods. A comprehensive search and evaluation of relevant scientific articles was conducted using the Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases, as well as the catalogs of the National Library of Ukraine. The final review included 28 core publications, the topics of which directly cover psychiatry, medical psychology, mechanisms of psychoneuroimmunology, and the neurobiology of stress states. Results. Structural and functional changes in the brain were analyzed, specifically the role of the amygdala complex and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the generation of «diffuse anxiety». The review highlights the key significance of imbalances in the GABA-ergic and glutamatergic systems, depletion of endocannabinoid regulation, and suppression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The review emphasizes the role of neuroinflammation (microglia activation and cytokine storms) in the pathogenesis of anxiety. Particular attention is paid to the phenomenon. Special attention is paid to the phenomenon of somatization through the prism of polyvagal theory and the specifics of the impact of continuous combat stress on the brain of military personnel (combatants). Conclusions. Anxiety in war conditions is a complex systemic disease that combines neuroplasticity disorders and neuroimmune dysfunctions. The risks of epigenetic transgenerational transmission of trauma are substantiated. The transition to pathogenetically based neuroprotective strategies of medical and psychological rehabilitation (EMDR, neuromodulation) using the Ukrainian model of collective resilience is proposed.

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