Visual imagery and perception in posttraumatic stress disorder. A positron emission tomographic investigation.
BACKGROUND
Relative regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes were measured in Vietnam combat veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during exposure to combat-related stimuli.


METHODS
Positron emission tomography was used to measure rCBF in 7 combat veterans with PTSD (PTSD group) and 7 healthy combat veterans (control group) who viewed and generated visual mental images of neutral, negative, and combat-related pictures.


RESULTS
Unlike control subjects, subjects with PTSD had increased rCBF in ventral anterior cingulate gyrus and right amygdala when generating mental images of combat-related pictures; when viewing combat pictures, subjects with PTSD showed decreased rCBF in Broca's area.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that ventral anterior cingulate gyrus and right amygdala play a role in the response of combat veterans with PTSD to mental images of combat-related scenes. Reexperiencing phenomena of PTSD, which often involve emotional visual mental imagery, may be likewise associated with increased rCBF in these regions.
Shin
L M
LM
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass, USA.
Kosslyn
S M
SM
McNally
R J
RJ
Alpert
N M
NM
Thompson
W L
WL
Rauch
S L
SL
Macklin
M L
ML
Pitman
R K
RK
D000679:Amygdala / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014857:Warfare