Executive deficits in chronic PTSD related to political violence

Twenty-two subjects with chronic PTSD were compared to 23 subjects with no diagnoses (NPD) on tests of executive functioning (EF) that are assumed to have clinical significance after exposure to political violence.MethodThe three cognitive components of EF, intentionality, inhibition and executive memory [Burgess, P. W., Alderman, N., Evans, J., Emslie, H., Wilson, B. A. (1998). The ecological validity of tests of executive function. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 4, 547–58], were measured using the Tower of London, Stroop Color–Word Test and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), respectively.ResultsThe PTSD group was impaired on tasks measuring automatic processing and executive memory. Executive memory problems were related to elevated posttraumatic symptoms, but the executive components intentionality and inhibition did not differentiate the groups. Arousal and intrusive symptoms had no impact on intentionality.ConclusionPosttraumatic symptoms are related to automatic processing problems and impairment in executive memory. Observed dysfunctions in mental flexibility could have a negative impact on the cognitive processing of traumatic memory, thus preventing from recovery.