Cognitive Dysfunction in PTSD: Cross Sectional Descriptive Study in Recent Trauma Survivors in Egypt

Abstract

P osttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric syndrome that develops after exposure to terrifying and life-threatening events including warfare, motor-vehicle accidents, physical and sexual assault. It is characterized by intense reliving of the traumatic event through disruptive memories and nightmares, avoidance of reminders of the event, and hyper-vigilance toward potential threats in the environment. For most, the trauma is acute and transient and results in minimal functional impairment. PTSD is characterized by affective and cognitive dysfunction. In later a long time, considerable proof from functional neuro-imaging has indicated that disruptions in prefrontal, limbic and interactive brain function may underlie the disorder. PTSD has been connected to wide neuropsychological deficits over numerous domains. Many studies of PTSD have found that lower pre-morbid cognitive capacity may be a risk issue for the consequent advancement of the disorder. Preservative behaviors are a common clinical marker of Executive functioning dysfunction. Perseveration concerning aspects of the trauma may be an important and basic contributing factor within the advancement and support of PTSD. In spite of the fact that presentation to stressful and traumatic occasions is very common solely a little proportion of people in the long run, develop vital posttraumatic adjustment difficulties or PTSD. The cognition affection is characterized by a variety of cognitive deficits that can start in infancy through youth, counting developmental delays in language and intellectual functioning, executive functioning, and attention. Maltreated patients have been found to encounter incredible shortfalls in executive functioning skills as compared to non-maltreated controls. Moreover, cognitions associated with the traumatic encounters may be thought-about inside this domain, counting attributions of fault, that are found to be related with more regrettable results of depression and PTSD.