Mood symptoms contribute to working memory decrement in active‐duty soldiers being treated for posttraumatic stress disorder

Brain and Behavior

Michael N. Dretsch¹  Kenneth J. Thiel¹  Jeremy R. Athy¹  Clinton R. Irvin¹  Bess Sirmon-Fjordbak² 

[1]U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, Fort Rucker, Alabama 36362-0577

[2]University of Texas-El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA

关键词: Anxiety;    depression;    digit span;    memory;    military;    neurocognitive;   

DOI  :  10.1002/brb3.53

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

A significant proportion of military veterans of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Growing evidence suggests that neuropsychological deficits are a symptom of PTSD. The current study investigated neurocognitive functioning among soldiers diagnosed with PTSD. Specifically, active-duty soldiers with and without a diagnosis of PTSD were assessed for performance on tests of attention and working memory. In addition, factors such as combat experience, depression, anxiety, PTSD symptom severity, and alcohol consumption were explored as possible mediators of group differences in neurocognitive functioning. Twenty-three active-duty soldiers diagnosed with PTSD were matched with 23 healthy Soldier controls; all were administered the Attention Network Task (ANT), Backward Digit Span (BDS) task, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, PTSD Checklist—Military Version, Combat Exposure Scale, and Modified Drinking Behavior Questionnaire. Soldiers diagnosed with PTSD performed significantly worse on the working memory task (BDS) than healthy controls, and reported greater levels of PTSD symptoms, combat exposure, depression, and anxiety. However, after controlling for depression and anxiety symptoms, the relationship between PTSD and working memory was no longer present. The results indicate that PTSD is accompanied by deficits in working memory, which appear to be partially attributed to anxiety and depression symptoms.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC   
© 2012 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.