Performance of PTSD patients on standard tests of memory. Implications for trauma

Mental health professionals have employed a variety of clinical and experimental neuropsychological tests for exploring purported memory alterations in PTSD. Protocols range from standard tests of immediate and delayed learning, recall, and recognition to elaborate paradigms using experimental stimuli for assessment of information-processing skills. Whereas the former have typically focused on general learning and memory capabilities, experimental paradigms have examined the role of trauma-related cues and their impact on remembering. Findings to date suggest that memory abilities in PTSD patients range from intact to mildly impaired on general tests of verbal or visual memory. At the same time, memory tests involving trauma-specific stimuli point to alterations in cognitive information processing, specifically, an attentional bias manifested by changes in speed, accuracy, and depth of processing. The role of a semantic information network involving enhanced specificity for trauma cues is discussed along with possible implications for brain structures and theories of PTSD.