Narrative exposure therapy for PTSD increases top-down processing of aversive stimuli--evidence from a randomized controlled treatment trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Little is known about the neurobiological foundations of psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Prior studies have shown that PTSD is associated with altered processing of threatening and aversive stimuli. It remains unclear whether this functional abnormality can be changed by psychotherapy. This is the first randomized controlled treatment trial that examines whether narrative exposure therapy (NET) causes changes in affective stimulus processing in patients with chronic PTSD.

Methods

34 refugees with PTSD were randomly assigned to a NET group or to a waitlist control (WLC) group. At pre-test and at four-months follow-up, the diagnostics included the assessment of clinical variables and measurements of neuromagnetic oscillatory brain activity (s

SUBMITTER: Adenauer H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3258226 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature