Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity modulates avoidance of positive emotions among trauma-exposed military veterans in the community.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole H. Weiss ◽  
Melissa R. Schick ◽  
Ateka A. Contractor ◽  
Svetlana Goncharenko ◽  
Alexa M. Raudales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Disorder Symptom

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity and Relationship Functioning Among Partnered Heterosexual and Lesbian Women Veterans

LGBT Health ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Caska-Wallace ◽  
Jodie G. Katon ◽  
Keren Lehavot ◽  
Meghan M. McGinn ◽  
Tracy L. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
Relationship Functioning ◽  
Lesbian Women ◽  
Disorder Symptom

scholarly journals The impact of torture on interpersonal threat and reward neurocircuitry

2020 ◽  
pp. 000486742095081
Author(s):  
Belinda Liddell ◽  
Gin S Malhi ◽  
Kim L Felmingham ◽  
Jessica Cheung ◽  
Tim Outhred ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Ventral Striatum ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Torture Survivors ◽  
Connectivity Patterns ◽  
Disorder Symptom ◽  
Interpersonal Threat

Objective: Torture adversely influences emotional functioning, but the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning its impact are unknown. This study examined how torture exposure affects the neural substrates of interpersonal threat and reward processing. Methods: Male refugees with ( N = 31) and without ( N = 27) torture exposure completed a clinical interview and functional magnetic resonance imaging scan where they viewed fear, happy and neutral faces. Between-group activations and neural coupling were examined as moderated by posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and cumulative trauma load. Results: Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and trauma load significantly moderated group differences in brain activation and connectivity patterns. Torture survivors deactivated the ventral striatum during happy processing compared to non-torture survivor controls as a function of increased posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity – particularly avoidance symptoms. The ventral striatum was more strongly coupled with the inferior frontal gyrus in torture survivors. Torture survivors also showed left hippocampal deactivation to both fear and happy faces, moderated by trauma load, compared to controls. Stronger coupling between the hippocampus and frontal, temporoparietal and subcortical regions during fear processing was observed, with pathways being predicted by avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms. Conclusion: Torture exposure was associated with distinct brain activity and connectivity patterns during threat and reward processing, dependent on trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity. Torture appears to affect emotional brain functioning, and findings have the potential to guide more targeted interventions for torture survivors.

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