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Related Concept Videos

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder01:27

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

141
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that arises following exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, forced displacement, or severe accidents. It significantly impairs individuals' ability to cope with daily activities and disrupts their emotional and psychological equilibrium.
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
141
Traumatic Memory01:20

Traumatic Memory

293
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual...
293
Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

470
Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...
470
Repressed Memory01:16

Repressed Memory

192
Repressed memories are a psychological phenomenon where memories of traumatic events are unconsciously blocked from a person's awareness. This process occurs as a defense mechanism, protecting the mind from the emotional impact of distressing or painful experiences. For example, a person who has experienced childhood trauma may grow up with no conscious recollection of the event. In such cases, the memories are thought to be buried deep within the subconscious, inaccessible to the conscious...
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Role of Hippocampus in Memory01:19

Role of Hippocampus in Memory

616
The hippocampus, a critical brain structure, plays an essential role in memory processing, particularly in the formation and retrieval of memory. This small, seahorse-shaped region is located within the medial temporal lobe, with one hippocampus in each brain hemisphere. Experimental studies involving lesions in the hippocampi of rats have demonstrated significant impairments in tasks such as object recognition and maze navigation, indicating the hippocampus involvement in both recognition and...
616

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Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity
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Association between spatial working memory and Re-experiencing symptoms in PTSD.

Abel S Mathew1, Salahadin Lotfi2, Kenneth P Bennett1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA.

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|December 15, 2021
PubMed
Summary

This study found that visuospatial working memory (WM) deficits are linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) re-experiencing symptoms. Improving visuospatial WM may help reduce PTSD symptoms.

Keywords:
PTSDRe-experiencing symptomsVisuospatial WMWorking Memory

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Limited research exists on the connection between working memory (WM) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
  • It remains unclear if factors like negative affect, emotional dysregulation, or general cognitive control deficits mediate the WM-PTSD relationship.
  • These associated variables are known to impact PTSD symptomology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the predictive power of a computerized WM task on PTSD symptomology.
  • To determine if WM tasks predict PTSD symptoms incrementally, beyond other relevant variables.
  • To explore the specific contribution of different WM domains to PTSD symptom clusters.

Main Methods:

  • Thirty veterans with PTSD completed questionnaires, a heart-rate variability measure, and computerized cognitive tasks (emotional Stroop, automated complex span).
  • A hierarchical regression analysis was performed.
  • The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) total score and symptom clusters served as dependent variables.

Main Results:

  • Visuospatial WM tasks significantly predicted the re-experiencing symptom cluster of PTSD.
  • WM tasks collectively explained an additional 29.7% of the variance in PTSD symptoms.
  • The visuospatial WM task was the sole WM measure significantly associated with PCL-5 re-experiencing symptoms.

Conclusions:

  • Deficits in visuospatial working memory are significantly associated with PTSD re-experiencing symptoms, even after accounting for other variables.
  • The findings suggest a specific link between visuospatial WM and a core PTSD symptom.
  • Further research is warranted to explore interventions targeting visuospatial WM for PTSD symptom reduction.