PTSD

A large prospective study has shown an association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and accelerated decline in cognitive function over ti...

Further adjustment for practice effects revealed that women with 6–7 PTSD symptoms experienced cognitive decline in learning and working memory about two times faster than those without symptoms (β=−0.14 vs −0.07 SD/year; p<0.001), at a pace equivalent to 0.69 vs 0.36 SD/5 years. They called for future studies that could shed light on the mechanisms underlying these associations and to ascertain whether PTSD remission correlates with reduction in cognitive decline. The results also add to evidence showing that those with PTSD had a higher risk of developing dementia than those without PTSD. The findings align with evidence showing similar associations in individuals with exposure to extreme traumas (eg, childhood abuse, sexual abuse, military combat, the Holocaust). Participants were asked about their exposure to traumatic events (eg, physical assault, natural disasters) and were classified according to PTSD symptom level (ie, no, 1–3, 4–5, and 6–7 symptoms). The study included 12,270 trauma-exposed women enrolled in the PTSD substudy of the Nurses’ Health Study II.