Psychophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder

Clinical observations supporting an association between exposure to life-threatening events and altered physiologic arousal, especially overactivity or over-reactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, has made post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) an obvious target for psychophysiologic research. A variety of physiologic and cognitive symptoms and features of PTSD have lent themselves especially well to this type of investigation. These have included heightened responsiveness to reminders of a traumatic event, exaggerated startle, elevated autonomic arousal, hypervigilance, and concentration difficulties. Psychophysiologic and electrophysiologic findings addressing these and related issues in PTSD are reviewed.