2110 – Changes In Intellect Of War Veterans With Developed Ptsd

Abstract

Introduction

The previous neuropsychological studies have pointed to a significant understanding of the neurobiological correlates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with deficits in the functions of the intellect.

Aim

To establish the existence of intellectual changes in war veterans with developed PTSD and their relationship to PTSD.

Methods

War veterans are divided into two groups: Group A, war veterans with PTSD and “B” groups, veterans without PTSD. Were used:

1. - Wechsler's Adult Intelligence Scale (WB-F2)

2. - Trauma Questionnaire (UT-PTSD)

Questionnaire-socio-biographical data promjena u intelektualnom funkcionisanju.

Results

The severity of stress and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder is directly associated with the intellectual functions. War veterans, who had more severe traumatic experience, with a strong and destructive PTSD compared to veterans without PTSD had significantly lower ratio of general, verbal and non-verbal intelligence quotient of mental efficiency, a high level of mental deterioration with significantly pronounced oscillations in intratest and insidetest variability. Veterans with PTSD showed significantly lower scores in the immediate memory capacity, efficient attention, concentration under conditions of mental activity, visual perceptual skills predicted exactly bit of trivial things, of associative elasticity of thinking and short-term learning abilities.

Conclusions

These results suggest that deficits in the intellect, are not primarily the result of low intelligence, of premorbid states, but it occurs under the devastating impact of PTSD, which influencing changes in certain centers in the brain and changes in intellectual functioning.