NEUROCOGNITIVE INDICES OF ATTENTION IN PTSD

创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的定义是： 暴露于令人痛苦的事件后出现的症状， 涉及实际或威胁的死亡或严重伤害，或威胁 自我或他人的身体完整性（DSM-IV;美国精神病学 Association; 1994）。创伤后应激障碍的症状包括 注意力，如唤醒增加，难以集中， 高度警惕，过度惊吓反应， 对象征或类似事件的线索的生理反应。 尽管PTSD的高患病率和发病率（Browne & Finkelhor， 1986年），相对较少的研究已经进行，以促进 了解这种疾病的神经认知方面。指出的 Charney等人（1994年）提出，缺乏神经认知研究， 创伤后应激障碍形成鲜明对比， 行为，生物化学和神经生理学的影响， 实验室动物这些动物研究支持了神经 机制和神经化学改变有助于病因学 和/或与创伤后应激障碍相关的症状的持续性。在这方面，委员会注意到， 创伤后应激障碍提供了一个独特的和有价值的模型， 对人类神经生物学和认知的创伤性事件。 基于 与神经生物学和行为学相关的理论问题 创伤后应激障碍的症状，以及注意力的神经生物学，目前的研究 提出了调查的神经认知方面的注意， 创伤后应激障碍使用神经心理学和电生理学的措施。的 受试者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的越战老兵和平民控制。事件- 将使用连续性能测试获得相关电位 在持续和集中注意力的条件下的范式。 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 将提供有关扰动可能在 前后注意系统的发展， PTSD心理学的维持

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.