title: Dwelling on potential threat cues: an eye movement marker for combat-related PTSD.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although several studies have documented an attentional bias toward threat in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the nature of this bias has not been clearly delineated. The present study utilized eye tracking technology to delineate the time course and components of attentional bias for threat cues in combat-related PTSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Veterans with PTSD (n = 21), combat-exposed veterans without PTSD (n = 16), and nonveteran controls (n = 21) viewed emotional expressions (fearful, disgusted, happy) paired with neutral expressions for 3 s presentations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Veterans with PTSD maintained attention longer on the fearful and disgusted expressions relative to the happy expression. This negativity bias was sustained over the course of the 3 s trials, and robustly distinguished veterans with PTSD from both veterans without PTSD and nonveteran controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dwelling on potential threat cues may reflect current PTSD symptoms, or it could reflect a cognitive vulnerability factor for PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA. thomas.r.armstrong@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bilsky
authors.forename: Mimi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Bunmi O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Olatunji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*