Event-related potentials to auditory stimuli in female Vietnam nurse veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been found to show several event-related brain potential (ERP) abnormalities including reduced target P3b amplitude, P50 suppression, and P2 amplitude/intensity slope. Female Vietnam nurse veterans with (n = 29) and without (n = 38) current PTSD completed P50 paired-click, three-tone "oddball" and four-tone stimulus-intensity modulation procedures. Opposite to previous findings, the current PTSD group had larger target P3b amplitudes and increased P2 amplitude/intensity slopes. Reduced P50 suppression was associated with increased severity of general psychopathology, but not with PTSD diagnosis. Findings suggest that target P3b amplitude and P2 amplitude/intensity slope abnormalities reflect different pathophysiological processes. Future research is needed to determine whether the opposite ERP abnormalities observed in this PTSD sample reflect gender-, trauma-, or sample-specific findings.
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA. linda_metzger@hms.harvard.edu
Linda J
LJ
Metzger
Margaret A
MA
Carson
Lynn A
LA
Paulus
Natasha B
NB
Lasko
Stephen R
SR
Paige
Roger K
RK
Pitman
Scott P
SP
Orr
D000328:Adult; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D014744:Vietnam