title: Changes in intellect area in war veterans with developed PTSD.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The previous neuropsychological studies have pointed to a significant understanding of the neurobiological correlates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with deficits in the functions of the intellect.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish the existence of intellectual changes in war veterans with developed PTSD and their relationship to PTSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  War veterans are divided into two groups: Group A, war veterans with PTSD and "B" groups, veterans without PTSD. Were used: Wechsler's Adult Intelligence Scale (WB-F2); Trauma Questionnaire (UT-PTSD); Questionnaire-socio-biographical data
  
  
  RESULTS
  The severity of stress and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder is directly associated with the intellectual functions. War veterans, who had more severe traumatic experience, with a strong and destructive PTSD compared to veterans without PTSD had significantly lower ratio of general, verbal and non-verbal intelligence quotient of mental efficiency, a high level of mental deterioration with significantly pronounced oscillations in intratest and insidetest variability. Veterans with PTSD showed significantly lower scores in the immediate memory capacity, efficient attention, concentration under conditions of mental activity, visual perceptual skills predicted exactly bit of trivial things, of associative elasticity of thinking and short-term learning abilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that deficits in the intellect, are not primarily the result of low intelligence, of premorbid states, but it occurs under the devastating impact of PTSD, which influencing changes in certain centers in the brain and changes in intellectual functioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, School of Medicine University of Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Slobodan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pavlović
authors.forename: Mevludin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasanović
authors.forename: Nera Kravić
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Prelić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D014888:Wechsler Scales