Citation

Hopper JW, Frewen PA, van der Kolk BA, Lanius RA. J. Trauma. Stress 2007; 20(5): 713-725.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.20284

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Research suggests that responses to script-driven trauma imagery in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) include reexperiencing and dissociative symptom subtypes. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study employed a dimensional approach to characterizing script-driven imagery responses, using the Responses to Script-Driven Imagery Scale and correlational analyses of relationships between severity of state posttraumatic symptoms and neural activation. As predicted, state reexperiencing severity was associated positively with right anterior insula activity and negatively with right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC). Avoidance correlated negatively with rACC and subcallosal anterior cingulate activity. In addition, as predicted, dissociation correlated positively with activity in the left medial prefrontal and right superior temporal cortices, and negatively with the left superior temporal cortex. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed, particularly with respect to an emotion-dysregulation account of PTSD.