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Attentional processes in posttraumatic stress disorder and the associated changes in neural functioning
Open accessAbstract
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is associated with alterations in attention at the behavioral and neural levels. However, there are conflicting findings regarding the specific type of attention impairments present in PTSD, as the commonly used tests of attention do not isolate the mechanisms behind attention abnormalities, and the constructs measured do not map onto the neurocircuits governing attention. Here, we review the literature on attention processing in PTSD and offer directions for future research to clarify these unanswered questions. First, using instruments that allow assessment of behavioral and neurophysiological attention components will be necessary to understand attention deficits in PTSD. Second, focus on intra-individual variability in addition to assessment of central tendency may help clarify some of the mixed findings. Third, longitudinal studies on attentional processes are warranted to determine how attention contributes to the development and maintenance of PTSD. Integration of behavioral and neural measures of attention will be useful in understanding the pathophysiology of PTSD.
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“At the center of the cognitive control disturbance is difficulty disengaging attention from salient stimuli that may be interpreted as potentially threatening, even if neutral or positively valenced”
From Exercise Intervention in PTSD: A Narrative Review and Rationale for Implementation (2019) · cites this paper as [76]
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From Post‐traumatic stress disorder: a state‐of‐the‐art review of evidence and challenges (2019) · cites this paper as [61]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Block, S. R., & Liberzon, I.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- Corresponding author
- Block, Stefanie R.
- Venue
- Experimental Neurology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-10
- Volume
- 284
- Issue
- Pt B
- Pages
- 153-167
- ISSN
- 0014-4886 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2386144038
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 208
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 0.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Experimental Neurology (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Defense (W81XWH082020a8)
- Mind and Life Institute
- University of Michigan
- Department of Defense
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Clinical Neurology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- post-traumatic stress disorder, attention, attention deficits, neural mechanisms of attention, within-person variability, PTSD pathophysiology, attentional processes
- MeSH terms
- Attention, Brain, Cognition, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nerve Net, Neuropsychological Tests, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
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