Dataset Information

Arresting visuospatial stimulation is insufficient to disrupt analogue traumatic intrusions.

ABSTRACT: Intrusive memories are a core symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A growing body of analogue studies using trauma films suggest that carrying out specific demanding tasks (e.g., playing the video game Tetris, pattern tapping) after the analogue trauma can reduce intrusive memories. To examine the mechanism behind this effect, we tested whether mere engagement with attention-grabbing and interesting visual stimuli disrupts intrusive memories, and whether this depends on working memory resources and/or the concurrent activation of trauma film memories. In a total sample of 234 healthy participants, we compared no-task control conditions to a perceptual rating task with visually arresting video clips (i.e., non-emotional, complex, moving displays), to a less arresting task with non-moving, blurred pictures (Study 1), and to more demanding imagery tasks with and without repetitive reminders of the trauma film (Study 2). Generally, we found moderate to strong evidence that none of the conditions lead to differences in intrusion frequency. Moreover, our data suggest that intrusive memories were neither related to individual differences in working memory capacity (i.e., operation span performance; Study 1), nor to the degree of engagement with a visuospatial task (i.e., one-week recognition performance; Study 2). Taken together, our findings suggest that the boundary conditions for successful interference with traumatic intrusions may be more complex and subtle than assumed. Future studies may want to test the role of prediction errors during (re-)consolidation, deliberate efforts to suppress thoughts, or the compatibility of the task demands with the individual's skills.

SUBMITTER: Meyer T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6999047 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Arresting visuospatial stimulation is insufficient to disrupt analogue traumatic intrusions.

Meyer Thomas T Brewin Chris R CR King John A JA Nijmeijer Desiree D Woud Marcella L ML Becker Eni S ES

PloS one 20200203 2

Intrusive memories are a core symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A growing body of analogue studies using trauma films suggest that carrying out specific demanding tasks (e.g., playing the video game Tetris, pattern tapping) after the analogue trauma can reduce intrusive memories. To examine the mechanism behind this effect, we tested whether mere engagement with attention-grabbing and interesting visual stimuli disrupts intrusive memories, and whether this depends on working memo ...[more]

PMID: 32012193

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Project description:BackgroundVisuospatial attention is executed by the frontoparietal cortical areas of the brain. Damage to these areas can result in visual neglect. We therefore aimed to assess a combination of the greyscales task and repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to identify cortical regions involved in visuospatial attention processes. This pilot study was designed to evaluate an approach in a cohort of healthy volunteers, with the future aim of using this technique to map brain tumor patients before surgery. Ten healthy, right-handed subjects underwent rTMS mapping of 52 cortical spots in both hemispheres. The greyscales task was presented tachistoscopically and was time-locked to rTMS pulses. The task pictures showed pairs of horizontal rectangles shaded continuously from black at one end to white at the other, mirror-reversed. On each picture the subject was asked to report which of the two greyscales appeared darker overall. The responses were categorized into "leftward" and "rightward," depending on whether the subject had chosen the rectangle with the darker end on the left or the right. rTMS applied to cortical areas involved in visuospatial attention is supposed to affect lateral shifts in spatial bias. These shifts result in an altered performance on the greyscales task compared to the baseline performance without rTMS stimulation.ResultsIn baseline conditions, 9/10 subjects showed classic pseudoneglect to the left. Leftward effects also occurred more often in mapping conditions. Yet, calculated rightward deviations were strikingly greater in magnitude (p?<?0.0001). Overall, the right hemisphere was found to be more suggestible than the left hemisphere. Both rightward and leftward deviation scores were higher for the rTMS of this brain side (p?<?0.0001). Right hemispheric distributions accord well with current models of visuospatial attention (Corbetta et al. Nat Neurosci 8(11):1603-1610, 2005). We observed leftward deviations triggered by rTMS within superior frontal and posterior parietal areas and rightward deviations within inferior frontal areas and the temporoparietal junction (TPJ).ConclusionThe greyscales task, in combination with rTMS, yields encouraging results in the examination of the visuospatial attention function. Future clinical implications should be evaluated.

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Arresting visuospatial stimulation is insufficient to disrupt analogue traumatic intrusions.

Publications

Arresting visuospatial stimulation is insufficient to disrupt analogue traumatic intrusions.

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