Researchers often extrapolate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) status from PTSD Checklist (PCL) data. When doing so, cut points should be based on samples with similar characteristics. This study assessed PCL diagnostic accuracy and postconcussive symptom levels within 106 Iraq/Afghanistan war Veterans and servicemembers with recent blast exposure. Two definitions of PTSD were applied: (1) ...

I read with interest the recent article by Macgregor et al. [1]. The authors conducted risk assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients of military personnel with battle injury (BI). They also conducted sub-analysis on predictive factors of PTSD in patients with BI. As a result, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of patients with BI against patients with non BI ...

BACKGROUND Sleep facilitates the consolidation of fear extinction memory. Nightmares and insomnia are hallmark symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), possibly interfering with fear extinction and compromising recovery. A perpetual circle may develop when sleep disturbances increase the risk for PTSD and vice versa. To date, therapeutic options for alleviating sleep disturbances in PT...

BACKGROUND Although numerous studies have investigated the neurobiology and neuroendocrinology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after single finished trauma, studies on PTSD under ongoing threat are scarce and it is still unclear whether these individuals present similar abnormalities. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this review is to present the neurobiological and neuroendocrine findings on...

BACKGROUND National Guard troops are at increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, little is known about risk and resilience in this population. METHOD The Readiness and Resilience in National Guard Soldiers Study is a prospective, longitudinal investigation of 522 Army National Guard troops deployed to Iraq from March 2006 to July 2007. Participants completed measures...

BACKGROUND Most patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffer from sleep problems. Concerns have been raised about possible detrimental effects of sleep problems on the efficacy of psychological treatments for PTSD. In this study, we investigated the relation of session-to-session changes in PTSD symptoms and sleep, and tested whether sleep problems predicted poorer short- and long-...

CONTEXT Recent studies indicate a strong association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and nicotine dependence (ND). However, the explanation for the association remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To test competing explanations for the association between PTSD and ND. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Analysis of data on 6744 members of the Vietnam Era Twin Registry, a national registry ...

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been offered as a basis for criminal defenses, including insanity, unconsciousness, self-defense, diminished capacity, and sentencing mitigation. Examination of case law (e.g., appellate decisions) involving PTSD reveals that when offered as a criminal defense, PTSD has received mixed treatment in the judicial system. Courts have often recognized testimo...

Clinical genetic studies propose a moderate genetic contribution to the pathogenesis of PTSD with a heritability of about 30-35%. The present brief review will give an overview of molecular genetic research in PTSD yielding support for specific vulnerability genes. Additionally, evidence for gene-environment (GxE) interactions between susceptibility genes of PTSD and traumatic experiences will ...