Design: OEF/OIF Veterans performed a Go/NoGo (GNG) task where they were required to respond to one stimulus type and inhibit responses to another. The GNG stimuli alternated between easy (50% Go stimuli, 50% No Go stimuli) and hard (90% Go Stimuli, 10% No Go stimuli)
Results: OEF/OIF Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were impaired at inhibiting motor responses, as predicted. However, the deficit in inhibitory control occurred regardless of whether the patient had a diagnosis of mild TBI or not. PTSD severity scores were highly correlated with error rates. The results suggest that response inhibition is compromised in participants with PTSD, with implications that inhibitory control is important for recovery from traumatic experiences.
Previously published in JINS - Swick, D., Honzel, N., Larsen, J., Ashley, V., & Justus, T. (2012). Impaired Response Inhibition and Cognitive Control in Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of International Neuropsychology. 18, 917-26.