Memory for emotionally neutral information in posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analytic investigation.

Abstract

Studies have come to conflicting conclusions about whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with poorer memory for emotionally neutral information. The authors report a meta-analysis of 27 studies that investigated verbal and/or visual memory in samples with PTSD and healthy controls. The results indicated that the association between PTSD and memory impairment appears to be robust, small to moderate in size, and stronger for verbal than for visual memory. Effect sizes did not vary according to whether recall was immediate or delayed. The association is found in both civilian and military samples and cannot be readily explained as being due to the use of nontraumatized healthy control groups or concurrent head injury. The findings are placed in the context of recent neurobiological and experimental cognitive research.

Neuropsychological Sequelae of PTSD and TBI Following War Deployment among OEF/OIF Veterans

“…Brewin et al (2007) found that the overall magnitude of the association was small to moderate, and was stronger for verbal than for visual memory, affecting immediate and delayed recall equally, even after controlling for the presence of concurrent head injuries. Johnsen and Asbjørnsen (2008) examined verbal memory only and found a medium effect comparing people with PTSD to normal controls.…”

“…People with PTSD appear to process threat-related stimuli differently than neutral stimuli (for reviews, see Bar-Haim, Lamy, Pergamin, Bakermans-Kraneburg, & van IJzendoom, 2007;Buckley, Blanchard, & Neill, 2000;Constans, 2005). In addition, studies utilizing neuropsychological tests involving emotionally neutral information (e.g., words or photographs that do not evoke any particular emotional content) have shown that PTSD is most robustly associated with impairments on tasks assessing overall intellectual ability, attention, memory, and executive functioning (Vasterling, Verfaellie, & Sullivan, 2009;Vasterling & Brailey, 2005;Johnson & Asbjørnsen, 2008;Brewin, Kleiner, Vasterling, & Field, 2007;Brewin, Andrews, & Valentine, 2000). Although neuropsychological impairment associated with PTSD is typically mild to moderate in magnitude, often falling within the normal range, these impairments may be of high clinical relevance .…”

“…Two meta-analyses found a robust relationship between concurrent PTSD symptoms and memory impairment (Brewin et al, 2007;Johnsen & Asbjørnsen, 2008). Brewin et al (2007) found that the overall magnitude of the association was small to moderate, and was stronger for verbal than for visual memory, affecting immediate and delayed recall equally, even after controlling for the presence of concurrent head injuries.…”

Neuropsychological Outcomes of U.S. Veterans with Report of Remote Blast-Related Concussion and Current Psychopathology

“…Addressing this request is often challenging due to the complexity of coincident non-concussive conditions that may negatively impact cognitive functioning. Post-traumatic stress (Brewin, Kleiner, Vasterling, & Field, 2007;Marx et al, 2009), depression (cf., Vasterling et al, 2006;Zakzanis, Leach, & Kaplan, 1998), and other Axis I comorbidities may contribute to varied cognitive difficulties and obscure whether cognitive limitations reflect concussion history. Moreover, chronic ''post-concussive'' symptoms (PCS) are highly non-specific and cannot be reliably linked with concussion itself.…”

Memory for neutral, emotional and trauma-related information in sexual abuse survivors

“…Bremner, Vermetten, Afzal, & Vythilingam, 2004). A meta-analysis confirms that subsequent to an interpersonal trauma, individuals suffering from PTSD show verbal memory deficits compared to non-PTSD participants (Brewin, Kleiner, Vasterling, & Field, 2007). Trauma exposure may also be associated with lower performance on episodic memory tests, even independently of PTSD (Johnsen & Asbjørnsen, 2008; Rivera-Vélez, González-Viruet, Martínez-Taboas, & Pérez-Mojica, 2014).…”