Cognitive flexibility in post-traumatic stress disorder: Sustained interference associated with altered modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during task-switching
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with deficits in cognitive flexibility, with evidence suggesting that these deficits may be a risk factor for the development of core PTSD symptoms. Understanding the neurophysiological substrate of this association could aid the development of eff...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-01-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage: Clinical |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221315822200362X |
| _version_ | 1827989374070947840 |
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| author | Mihai Popescu Elena-Anda Popescu Thomas J. DeGraba John D. Hughes |
| author_facet | Mihai Popescu Elena-Anda Popescu Thomas J. DeGraba John D. Hughes |
| author_sort | Mihai Popescu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with deficits in cognitive flexibility, with evidence suggesting that these deficits may be a risk factor for the development of core PTSD symptoms. Understanding the neurophysiological substrate of this association could aid the development of effective therapies for PTSD. In this study, we investigated the relationship between post-traumatic stress severity (PTSS) in service members with combat exposure and the modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during a test of cognitive flexibility. Participants were assigned to three groups based on PTSS scores: low (well below a threshold consistent with a diagnosis of PTSD, n = 30), moderate (n = 32), and high (n = 29) symptom severity. Magnetoencephalography data were recorded while participants performed a cued rule-switching task in which two matching rules were repeated or switched across consecutive trials. Participants with high PTSS had longer reaction times for both switch and repeat trials, and showed evidence of sustained residual interference during repeat trials. During the cue-stimulus interval, participants with moderate and high PTSS showed higher relative theta power in switch trials over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). After test-stimulus onset, participants with high PTSS showed less suppression of beta band activity, which was present over multiple prefrontal, parietal, and temporal regions in switch trials, but it was confined to ventromedial prefrontal cortex in repeat trials. Higher theta band activity is a marker of effortful voluntary shifting of attention, while lower suppression of beta band activity reflects difficulties with inhibition of competing perceptual information and courses of action. These findings are consistent with a role for altered suppression of beta band activity, which can be due to less effective top-down bias signals exerted by DLPFC, in the etiology of cognitive flexibility deficits in PTSD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T00:18:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fd22e51614be49bb9a0636a067295746 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2213-1582 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T00:18:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage: Clinical |
| spelling | doaj.art-fd22e51614be49bb9a0636a0672957462023-03-16T05:03:57ZengElsevierNeuroImage: Clinical2213-15822023-01-0137103297Cognitive flexibility in post-traumatic stress disorder: Sustained interference associated with altered modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during task-switchingMihai Popescu0Elena-Anda Popescu1Thomas J. DeGraba2John D. Hughes3National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USANational Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USANational Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USANational Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA; Behavioral Biology Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA; Corresponding author at: Behavioral Biology Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with deficits in cognitive flexibility, with evidence suggesting that these deficits may be a risk factor for the development of core PTSD symptoms. Understanding the neurophysiological substrate of this association could aid the development of effective therapies for PTSD. In this study, we investigated the relationship between post-traumatic stress severity (PTSS) in service members with combat exposure and the modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during a test of cognitive flexibility. Participants were assigned to three groups based on PTSS scores: low (well below a threshold consistent with a diagnosis of PTSD, n = 30), moderate (n = 32), and high (n = 29) symptom severity. Magnetoencephalography data were recorded while participants performed a cued rule-switching task in which two matching rules were repeated or switched across consecutive trials. Participants with high PTSS had longer reaction times for both switch and repeat trials, and showed evidence of sustained residual interference during repeat trials. During the cue-stimulus interval, participants with moderate and high PTSS showed higher relative theta power in switch trials over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). After test-stimulus onset, participants with high PTSS showed less suppression of beta band activity, which was present over multiple prefrontal, parietal, and temporal regions in switch trials, but it was confined to ventromedial prefrontal cortex in repeat trials. Higher theta band activity is a marker of effortful voluntary shifting of attention, while lower suppression of beta band activity reflects difficulties with inhibition of competing perceptual information and courses of action. These findings are consistent with a role for altered suppression of beta band activity, which can be due to less effective top-down bias signals exerted by DLPFC, in the etiology of cognitive flexibility deficits in PTSD.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221315822200362XPost-traumatic stress disorderCognitive flexibilityTask-switchingMagnetoencephalography |
| spellingShingle | Mihai Popescu Elena-Anda Popescu Thomas J. DeGraba John D. Hughes Cognitive flexibility in post-traumatic stress disorder: Sustained interference associated with altered modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during task-switching NeuroImage: Clinical Post-traumatic stress disorder Cognitive flexibility Task-switching Magnetoencephalography |
| title | Cognitive flexibility in post-traumatic stress disorder: Sustained interference associated with altered modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during task-switching |
| title_full | Cognitive flexibility in post-traumatic stress disorder: Sustained interference associated with altered modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during task-switching |
| title_fullStr | Cognitive flexibility in post-traumatic stress disorder: Sustained interference associated with altered modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during task-switching |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cognitive flexibility in post-traumatic stress disorder: Sustained interference associated with altered modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during task-switching |
| title_short | Cognitive flexibility in post-traumatic stress disorder: Sustained interference associated with altered modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during task-switching |
| title_sort | cognitive flexibility in post traumatic stress disorder sustained interference associated with altered modulation of cortical oscillatory activity during task switching |
| topic | Post-traumatic stress disorder Cognitive flexibility Task-switching Magnetoencephalography |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221315822200362X |
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