NEUROCOGNITIVE INDICES OF ATTENTION IN PTSD

创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)的定义是 在暴露于令人痛苦的事件后出现的症状 涉及实际或威胁死亡或严重伤害，或对 自我或他人的身体完整性(DSM-IV；美国精神病学 协会；1994年)。创伤后应激障碍的症状包括 注意力，如更高的唤醒，难以集中注意力， 高度警惕，夸大的惊吓反应，以及高度的 对象征或类似事件的暗示的生理反应。 尽管创伤后应激障碍的患病率和发病率很高(Browne&Finkelhor， 1986年)，相对较少的研究已经进行，以推动 对这种疾病的神经认知方面的理解。如上所述 作者：Charney等人。(1994)，神经认知研究的匮乏 创伤后应激障碍与大量调查形成鲜明对比 应激对小鼠的行为、生化和神经生理影响 实验动物。这些动物研究支持这样的观点，即神经 机制和神经化学改变在病因中起作用 和/或与创伤后应激障碍相关的症状的持续性。在这方面， 创伤后应激障碍提供了一个独特而有价值的模型，说明了 对人类神经生物学和认知的一次创伤性事件。基于 与神经生物学和行为学有关的理论问题 创伤后应激障碍症状和注意力的神经生物学，本研究 被提议研究注意的神经认知方面 使用神经心理学和电生理学方法的创伤后应激障碍。这个 研究对象将包括患有创伤后应激障碍的越战老兵样本， 没有创伤后应激障碍和平民控制的越南退伍军人。活动- 相关电位将使用连续的性能测试来获得 持续和集中注意条件下的范例。 注意力、记忆力和执行功能的神经心理学测量 也将获得。行为和电生理测量 将提供有关骚乱可能在 前、后注意系统在发育和发育中的作用 维护创伤后应激障碍症状学。

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined by characteristic symptoms that develop following exposure to a distressing event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association; 1994). Included in the symptoms of PTSD are disturbances in attention, such as increased arousal, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, and heightened physiological reactivity to cues that symbolize or resemble the event. Despite the high prevalence and morbidity of PTSD (Browne & Finkelhor, 1986), comparatively little research has been conducted to advance the understanding of the neurocognitive aspects of this disorder. As pointed out by Charney, et al. (1994), the dearth of neurocognitive research on PTSD contrasts sharply with the large body of investigations of the behavioral, biochemical, and neurophysiological effects of stress in laboratory animals. These animal studies support the notion that neural mechanisms and neurochemical alterations contribute to the etiology and/or the persistence of symptoms associated with PTSD. In this regard, PTSD provides a unique and valuable model of the protracted effects of a traumatic event on human neurobiology and cognition. Based on theoretical issues pertaining to the neurobiological and behavioral symptoms of PTSD, and the neurobiology of attention, the present study is proposed to investigate the neurocognitive aspects of attention in PTSD using both neuropsychological and electrophysiological measures. The subjects will include a sample of Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD, Vietnam combat veterans without PTSD, and civilian controls. Event- related potentials will be obtained using a continuous performance test paradigm under conditions of sustained and focused attention. Neuropsychological measures of attention, memory, and executive functions also will be obtained. The behavioral and electrophysiological measures will provide information about the possible role of disturbances in anterior and posterior attentional systems in the development and maintenance of PTSD symptomatology.