AI Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the relationship between arousal from traumatic memories and cognitive performance in individuals with PTSD, comparing those with and without the disorder.
- Participants completed a working memory task before and after discussing their traumatic experiences, but their performance did not show impairment despite the emotional evocation.
- The findings suggest that cognitive deficits in PTSD may not be influenced by the psychological effects of recalling trauma; future research should carefully consider the sequence of related activities when studying PTSD effects.
Article Abstract
The role of heightened arousal has been previously discussed as a contributor to neurocognitive impairment in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To investigate whether psychological effects (distraction, re-location of resources) elicited by the evocation of traumatic memories impact on subsequent cognitive performance in PTSD, two parallel versions of a working memory task were administered to 33 trauma-exposed participants (15 with and 18 without PTSD). Between first and second working memory assessment a trauma-related interview was conducted including the narration of the trauma. Levels of working memory impairment in PTSD patients remained unchanged. This study provides preliminary evidence that neurocognitive impairment is not secondary to psychological effects induced by the evocation of traumatic memories. Nevertheless, it is recommended that future PTSD research should devote more care to the order in which trauma-related and other dependent variables such as cognitive tests are presented to participants.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/da.20300 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!