The Parameters of Emotional-processing in PTSD

描述(申请人提供)：创伤后应激障碍患者报告紧张 当被提醒他们的创伤和缺乏时的负面情绪反应 体验和表达情绪的能力，或“情绪麻木”。虽然 关于条件性负面情绪已经进行了广泛的研究 对创伤提醒的反应，关于情绪的研究很少 麻木，以及对这两种反应之间关系的稀疏研究 上课。这项提案的目标是证明 由创伤和创伤的提醒提示的负面情绪和防御行为 患有创伤后应激障碍的男性和女性的后续情绪处理功能障碍 源于在越南服役的经历。将特别努力招募和 研究患有创伤后应激障碍的西班牙裔男性退伍军人，因为这一群体已被发现 患创伤后应激障碍的风险更高。计划进行两项研究，以测试各种参数 创伤后应激障碍的情绪处理。研究1将研究人员的情绪反应 患有和不患有创伤后应激障碍的越南退伍军人，在三种情况下：a 中性基线状况，非创伤相关应激源状况(恐惧 电影)，以及与创伤有关的主要节目(战区图像和声音)。创伤后应激障碍群体 会对负面图像表现出更强烈的情绪反应 只是因为接触了创伤相关的最佳状态。创伤最好的时刻 也应该唯一地抑制创伤后应激障碍组中的正价反应。 研究2是对刺激强度阈值的参数检验 需要在创伤后应激障碍中引发全面的积极和消极情绪。我们 假设创伤后应激障碍患者可能需要更高的 激发积极情绪的强度门槛和较低的门槛 负面情绪，而患有创伤后应激障碍的西班牙裔男性需要更高的阈值 对于积极的和消极的情绪。在每项研究中，各种不同的 标准化情绪反应的心理生理指标 吸引人的彩色照片将被评估。我们特别注意 惊吓反射活动的调节，已被证明是可靠的 标示情绪响应性的效价。在研究2中，我们将评估 刺激强度所需的程度，以产生令人吃惊的正向调制 以及创伤后应激障碍的负性情绪。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Individuals with PTSD report intense negative emotional reactions when reminded of their trauma and a lack of ability to experience and express emotions, or "emotional numbing." Although there has been extensive research conducted on conditioned negative emotional response to reminders of trauma, there has been little research on emotional numbing, and sparse research on the relationship between these two response classes. The goal of this proposal is to demonstrate a link between the negative affect and defensive behavior cued by reminders of trauma and subsequent emotional-processing dysfunction in PTSD, in men and women with PTSD stemming from service in Vietnam. Special effort will be made to recruit and study Hispanic male veterans with PTSD because this group has been found to be at higher risk for PTSD. Two studies are planned to test various parameters of emotional-processing in PTSD. Study 1 will examine the emotional responses of men and women Vietnam veterans with and without PTSD, under three conditions: a neutral baseline condition, a non-trauma-related stressor condition (a fear film), and a trauma-related prime (war-zone images and sounds). The PTSD groups are expected to exhibit more intense emotional reactions to negatively images only as a result of exposure to the trauma-related prime. The trauma prime should also uniquely suppress positively valenced responses in the PTSD groups. Study 2 is a parametric examination of the threshold of stimulus intensity required to elicit a full range of positive and negative emotion in PTSD. We hypothesize that patients with PTSD are predisposed to require a higher threshold of intensity to elicit positive emotion and a lower threshold for negative affect, and that Hispanic male's with PTSD require a higher threshold for positive and negative emotion. In each study, a variety of psychophysiological indicators of emotional response to standardized emotion eliciting color photographs will be assessed. We pay particular attention to the modulation of startle reflex activity, which has been shown to reliably index the valence of emotional responsivity. In Study 2 we will evaluate the degree of stimulus intensity required to produce startle modulation of positive and negative emotion in PTSD.