Learning and memory impairment in PTSD: relationship to depression

Abstract

Memory function was studied in combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), combat veterans without PTSD, and noncombat veterans. The Vocabulary and Digit Span subtests of the WAIS and Logical Memory (LMS) and Verbal Paired Associates (VPAS) subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale III were administered. Combat veterans with PTSD showed impaired memory on the LMS and VPAS compared to combat veterans without PTSD or noncombat veterans. Veterans with PTSD also showed lower WAIS Vocabulary subtest scores--but not digit span subtest scores--than combat veterans without PTSD or noncombat veterans. Medication status, co-morbid diagnosis, and age all failed to account for these memory differences, but when self-assessed depression--as measured by the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale--or anxiety--as measured by the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale--was statistically removed, group differences on these memory measures were no longer significant. However, using a stepwise regression procedure, in which both anxiety and depression were employed to predict the LMS and VPAS scores, only the Zung scale reliably predicated performance. The present results, showing that PTSD is associated with general learning and memory impairments, is an important finding, but the specific effects of depression as a mediator of these deficits should be further studied.

A quantitative meta-analysis of neurocognitive functioning in posttraumatic stress disorder.

“…Therefore, the neurocognitive profile found in this meta-analysis does not appear to reflect general distress or psychopathology. Moreover, although some authors have posited that the cognitive deficits observed in PTSD are primarily due to depressive symptomatology in the context of PTSD (e.g., Burriss et al, 2008; Johnsen et al, 2008; Olff et al, 2014), this pattern of deficits (in combination with negative results in our analyses of the effect of depression on effect size variance) argues against this hypothesis.…”

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Assessing Response Style and Malingering

“…2 Some recent studies examined cognitive deficits in PTSD without assessing effort but yielded interesting findings. Burriss et al (2007) reported that depressive symptoms mediated the cognitive deficits they observed in PTSD patients (see also Johnsen et al 2008), although Rohling et al (2002) and Green (2008) reported that depression does not produce lowered cognitive scores when examinees exert good effort. Johnsen et al (2008) reported deficits on delayed recall, which was mediated by less efficient learning in the PTSD sample.…”

Predictors of Length of Stay Among OEF/OIF/OND Veteran Inpatient PTSD Treatment Noncompleters

“…Individuals diagnosed with PTSD often display significant impairment in social, occupational, cognitive, and health functioning (Burriss, Ayers, Ginsberg, & Powell, 2008;Davidson, 2001) along with elevated suicide rates (Benda, 2005). Fortunately, a great deal of research suggests evidence-based treatments (EBTs), such as prolonged exposure (PE; Foa, Hembree, & Rothbaum, 2007) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT; Resick, Monson, & Chard, 2010) are effective in reducing PTSD symptoms in outpatient (Rizvi, Vogt, & Resick, 2009;Tuerk et al, 2012) and residential settings (Chard, Schumm, McIlvain, Bailey, & Parkinson, 2011).…”