This study examined the topography of event-related potentials (ERPs) during working memory updating in medicated (n = 14) and unmedicated (n = 20) groups of patients with PTSD and age- and gender-matched controls. ERPs were recorded from 26 scalp sites during a working memory paradigm that involved identifying when a letter appeared twice in a row in a series of letters. A large positive component at around 400 ms (P3wm) following presentation of nontarget stimuli was considered an index of working memory updating. Group differences were found in the amplitude of this component and also in P3 amplitude and latency following target stimuli. Contrary to expectations, these effects were most apparent in the medicated subgroup. Both groups of patients with PTSD exhibited delayed reaction time, but only the medicated participants were impaired in target detection accuracy. Neither ERP nor behavioural abnormalities were related to CAPS symptom scores. These results are consistent with research that suggests SSRI medication may alter working memory performance, but the results may be due to some other characteristic of the medicated participants such as differing symptom profiles.
No CrossRef data available.