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Altered early neural responses during cognitive control tasks are more closely linked with posttraumatic stress symptoms than with mild traumatic brain injury.
Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) illustrate changes in early brain responses related to perception and attention—specifically, reduced P1 and increased N1 signals—rather than in later cognitive control functions, a new study issued in "Neuropsychology" revealed.
Involving 192 U.S. military veterans with combat-zone experience and blast exposure, the study explored how PTSD symptom clusters and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) history uniquely influence cognitive processes. Using event-related potentials recorded during a flanker task, researchers examined how the brain responds during conflict monitoring. Participants struggled more with incongruent (conflict) trials, particularly when these followed congruent (no-conflict) trials—highlighting a general challenge with conflict adaptation.
Notably, veterans with greater dysphoric PTSD symptoms—marked by persistent low mood and distress—had diminished P1 amplitudes, indicating reduced early perceptual processing. In contrast, those with more severe avoidance symptoms exhibited enhanced N1 responses, suggesting heightened early visual attention. However, PTSD intensity and mTBI history were not linked to later event-related potentials components (N2 and P3), which are markers of higher-order cognitive control.
These findings suggest that specific PTSD symptom domains differentially impact early-stage neural processes, rather than late-stage cognitive control. PTSD-related avoidance and dysphoria alter early-stage brain responses (P1, N1) without affecting later cognitive control (N2, P3) in combat-exposed veterans. The researchers emphasize that interventions aimed at enhancing perceptual and attentional functioning—rather than only targeting executive control—may yield better outcomes for veterans coping with PTSD and mTBI.
This study provides crucial insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive complaints in trauma-exposed populations and may help refine rehabilitation strategies to be more symptom-specific and neurobiologically grounded.
Neuropsychology
Posttraumatic stress symptomatology rather than mild traumatic brain injury is related to atypical early neural processing during cognitive control
Kara L Stevens et al.
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