Worsening of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms with cognitive decline: case series.
We present three cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms associated with cognitive decline. Patient age ranged from 57 to 70 years old and all patients had war-related PTSD. In each case, the patient had a history of PTSD that was under fairly good control until the onset of cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease or vascular or alcohol-related dementia. These cases suggest that neurodegeneration of memory pathways may disinhibit symptoms of PTSD.
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi 39216, USA.
D
D
Mittal
R
R
Torres
A
A
Abashidze
N
N
Jimerson
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology