J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 16:102-108, February 2004
© 2004 American Psychiatric Press, Inc.
A CNV-Distraction Paradigm in Combat Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Matthew Kimble, Ph.D.,
Kathryn Ruddy, B.A.,
Patricia Deldin, Ph.D. and
Milissa Kaufman, B.A.
Received June 18, 2002; revised November 13, 2002; accepted December 11, 2002. From the University of Wales, Bangor, School of Psychology, United Kingdom; the VA Boston Healthcare System/Behavioral Science Division/National Center for PTSD/Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard University, Department of Psychology, Boston, Massachusetts. Address correspondence to Dr. Kimble, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2AS, United Kingdom; M.Kimble{at}bangor.ac.uk (E-mail).
Fourteen veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 14 without PTSD participated in a contingent negative variation (CNV)-distraction paradigm. Subjects were instructed to press a button after hearing a high-pitched tone (S2) preceded by a low-pitched tone (S1). One-half of the trials included a white-noise distracter placed in the S1–S2 interval. Posttraumatic stress disorder subjects had larger frontal, but smaller central and parietal CNVs, regardless of condition (distracter, no distracter) or epoch (early CNV, late CNV). In PTSD subjects, the N1/P2 complex was smaller to warning (S1) and distracter stimuli and did not show the extent of facilitation present in non-PTSD subjects. Findings highlight PTSD-related differences in phasic cortical excitability and attention.
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