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Kristen Barlow-Ogden, MA; William Poynter, PhD

This study aims to compare the visual attentional performance of veterans diagnosed with mTBI and PTSD, PTSD only, or neither, using the LANT task. Results indicated that participants with mTBI+PTSD exhibited slower and more variable attentional responses, suggesting difficulties with attentional vigilance and right hemisphere deficits. Veterans with mTBI+PTSD displayed longer response times and lower accuracy compared to the PTSD-only and control groups, especially when stimuli were presented to the left visual field.

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Kristen Barlow-Ogden, MA; William Poynter, PhD

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  1. Mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder:Investigation of visual attention in Operation Iraqi Freedom/OperationEnduring Freedom veterans Kristen Barlow-Ogden, MA; William Poynter, PhD

  2. Aim • Compare visual attentional performance of veterans diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) + posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), PTSD only, or neither (controls). • Relevance • Veterans with mTBI commonly report attention problems, but relatively few studies have investigated types and levels of behavioral attentional deficits in veterans with mTBI + PTSD.

  3. Methods • 47 combat veterans participated. • 19 to 45 yr old. • Served in Operation Iraqi and/or Enduring Freedom • Used LANT (lateralized attention network task). • Computerized visual attention task that measures speed and accuracy with which subjects shift attention to locations in visual field (VF) and selectively focus attention on target stimuli. • Selectively flashes stimuli to the right and left VFs, so hemispheric asymmetries in attentional performance can also be measured.

  4. Visual stimuli and timeline of LANT stimulus sequence.

  5. Results • mTBI+PTSD group (vs PTSD and control groups): • Slower attentional responses. • More variable responses. • Suggests difficulty with attentional vigilance. • Hemispheric asymmetries in attentional performance. • Participants with mTBI+PTSD were less efficient in orienting visual attention to stimuli flashed to the left VF. • Suggests right hemisphere deficit.

  6. Conclusion • Overall, veterans with mTBI + PTSD displayed longer response times and were less accurate than PTSD only and control groups, especially when cues were presented to left VF.

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