Psychophysiologic Reactivity: Implications for Conceptualizing PTSD

Gender as a moderator of the relation between PTSD and disgust: A laboratory test employing individualized script-driven imagery

“…Although the majority of individuals with PTSD evidence relatively elevated psychophysiological reactivity to individualized traumatic event script-driven imagery procedures, these findings are consistent with data indicating such elevated reactivity is not uniform (Orr et al, 2004). Moreover, these findings are consistent with the notion that reactions to traumatic event cues characterized by relatively elevated disgust (as reported by women with PTSD) would be accompanied by relatively lower heart rate (as evidenced by this group).…”

“…The experience of disgust is generally associated with heart rate deceleration (Levenson, 1992). Consistent with previous research (Orr, McNally, Rosen, & Shalev, 2004;Pole, 2007;Rauch, van Der Kolk, & Fisher, 1996), it was predicted that those with PTSD would display increased heart rate during the traumatic scripts in comparison to those without PTSD. However, those experiencing elevated disgust during the traumatic script (e.g., women with PTSD) were predicted to display relatively lower heart rate responding than those without PTSD.…”

Psychological Injury and Law: An Integrative Model

“…Therefore, in PTSD, lower production of cortisol may disrupt or delay the process of recovering physiologically from stress, by failing to inhibit the activation of the HPA. Physiological research is showing that a little under half of PTSD patients do not express the responses of the majority of PTSD patients on various physiological measures (Orr et al 2004). Therefore, in PTSD, both types of cortisol dysregulation obtain, that is, both cortisol over-and under-production.…”

Diminished medial prefrontal cortex activation during the recollection of stressful events is an acquired characteristic of PTSD

“…Gold et al, 2011; Orr et al, 1993; 1998; Pitman et al, 1987; 1990; Shalev et al, 1993; Shin et al, 2004; reviewed in Orr et al, 2004). In contrast, our results indicate that ExP+ individuals show smaller average Stressful SCR-Neutral SCR difference scores, which may be due to higher average SCLs throughout the SDI paradigm, particularly during the both the Baseline and Imagery periods of the Stressful condition.…”

“…Individuals with PTSD also exhibit increased psychophysiological (e.g., heart rate, skin conductance, and facial electromyographic) responses to trauma-related SDI, compared to trauma-exposed participants without PTSD (Orr et al, 1993; 1998; Pitman et al, 1987; 1990; Shalev et al, 1993; Shin et al, 2004; reviewed in Orr et al, 2004). Elevated psychophysiological responses in PTSD are associated with increased PTSD symptom severity (reviewed in Orr & Roth, 2000).…”