| Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Sleep Disturbances, and Executive Functioning in Veterans Shannon M. Edwards, M.A. Introduction: Sleep disturbances, hyperarousal, and hypervigilence are key components in diagnosis and treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Understanding how neuronal processes, such as executive functioning, can be encumbered by PTSD symptoms provides a comprehensive understanding of how they are interconnected. Method: ImPACT was used to examine the cognitive performance of 18 veterans. Dependent measures included composite scores from the ImPACT computerized test battery, as well as total symptom scores from the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index - Amendment (PSQI-A). Results: Differences between the clinical sample and the normative group from the ImPACT were significant regarding verbal memory and reaction time composite scores. The clinical sample did not differ from the normative group on visual memory and processing speed indices. Additionally, when controlling for sleep disturbances, reaction time was still significantly slower in our clinical sample. Conclusions: Cognitive performance deficits in verbal memory and reaction time appear to be associated with those having a clinical diagnosis of PTSD, as well as those with PTSD symptoms. Executive functioning needs to be considered when developing treatment approaches and implemented when empirically based anxiety treatments are not completely efficacious. |
