Characteristics of objective daytime sleep among individuals with earthquake-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A pilot community-based polysomnographic and multiple sleep latency test study.

Little is known about the objective sleep characteristics of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study examines the association between PTSD symptom severity and objective daytime sleep characteristics measured using the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) in therapy-naïve patients with earthquake-related PTSD. A total of 23 PTSD patients and 13 trauma-exposed non-PTSD (TEN-PTSD) subjects completed one-night in-lab polysomnography (PSG) followed by a standard MSLT.

Altered spontaneous neuronal activity in chronic posttraumatic stress disorder patients before and after a 12-week paroxetine treatment.

Background: Abnormal functional brain activity has been revealed in patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in recent years, while the recovery neuromechanism of PTSD has not yet been elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the altered spontaneous brain activity in treatment-naïve chronic PTSD patients before and after 12 weeks׳ treatment with paroxetine.

Methods: Twenty-one earthquake-related PTSD patients and seventeen traumatized controls underwent a resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (Rs-fMRI) scan at baseline.

Altered spontaneous neuronal activity of visual cortex and medial anterior cingulate cortex in treatment-naïve posttraumatic stress disorder.

Background: Although no more traumatic stimuli exists, a variety of symptoms are persisting in chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) patients. It is therefore necessary to explore the spontaneous brain activity of treatment-naïve PTSD patients during resting-state.

Method: Seventeen treatment-naïve PTSD patients and twenty traumatized controls were recruited and underwent a resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (Rs-fMRI) scan.