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Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity
Published on: July 1, 2014
Global-local visual processing in posttraumatic stress disorder
Jennifer J Vasterling1, Lisa M Duke, Holly Tomlin
1Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA. jennifer.vasterling@med.va.gov
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine a behavioral index of hemispheric asymmetry (i.e., visual hierarchical attention) in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disorder characterized by anxiety and other emotional symptoms. A reaction time based, computerized, global-local visual paradigm was administered to 26 PTSD-diagnosed and 22 psychopathology-free right-handed, male Vietnam War zone veterans. Results indicated that PTSD-diagnosed veterans displayed slower reaction times to all targets than the no-mental disorders comparison sample. However, findings also revealed a Group x Target location interaction in which the PTSD group was slower than the no-disorders comparison sample to respond to local, but not global, targets. Moreover, relative global bias was greater among PTSD-diagnosed veterans than their no-diagnosis counterparts. Findings provide partial support for the hypothesis that PTSD may be associated with a functional cerebral asymmetry favoring the right hemisphere.
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