A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study Of Trauma-Related Auditory And Olfactory Cues: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Or Combat Experience?

Abstract

The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among U.S. veterans deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan necessitates the need for comprehensive assessment and treatment strategies. This study investigated the utility of a combat-related PTSD symptom provocation paradigm to elicit unique neurological responses across three groups: combat veterans with PTSD, combat veterans without PTSD, and nonmilitary participants without PTSD. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) the results indicated that combat veterans with PTSD demonstrated significant activation to a trauma-related sound compared with nonmilitary personnel, channel 14: d = 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.28, 1.76]; channel 15: d = 1.30, 95% CI [0.53, 2.06]; and combat veterans without PTSD, channel 14: d = 0.87, 95% CI [0.14, 1.59]. Specifically, this increased neural activation was approximately located in the right medial superior prefrontal cortex (Brodmann areas 9/10), an area associated with experiencing negative or threatening stimuli and emotional detachment. There were no differences across the groups for nontrauma-related sounds. Results were less clear with respect to a combat-related odor. These results suggest a specific neurophysiological response to trauma-related cues and, if replicated, may offer a biomarker for combat-related PTSD. Such a response could provide incremental validity over diagnostic assessments alone and assist in planning and monitoring of treatment outcome.

Publication Date

12-1-2017

Publication Title

Journal of Traumatic Stress

Volume

30

Issue

6

Number of Pages

656-665

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22239

Socpus ID

85034645133 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85034645133

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