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Neural, Psychophysiological, and Behavioral Markers of Fear Processing in PTSD: A Review of the Literature

  • Anxiety Disorders (DJ Stein, Section Editor)
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Abstract

As presently defined, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an amalgam of symptoms falling into: re-experiencing of the trauma, avoidance of reminders of it, emotional numbing and hyperarousal. PTSD has a well-known proximate cause, commonly occurring after a life-threatening event that induces a response of intense fear, horror, and helplessness. Much of the advancement in understanding of the neurobiology of PTSD has emerged from conceptualizing the disorder as one that involves substantial dysfunction in fear processing. This article reviews recent knowledge of fear processing markers in PTSD. A systematic search was performed of reports within the specific three-year publication time period of January 2010 to December 2012. We identified a total of 31 studies reporting fear processing markers in PTSD. We further categorized them according to the following classification: (1) neural-activation markers (n = 10), (2) psychophysiological markers (n = 14), and (3) behavioral markers (n = 7). Across most studies reviewed here, significant differences between individuals with PTSD and healthy controls were shown. Methodological, theoretical and clinical implications were discussed.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgments

This article is partially supported by NIMH grants MH015144-34 (E. Shvil) and MH072833 (Y. Neria).

Conflict of Interest

Erel Shvil declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Heather L. Rusch declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Gregory M. Sullivan declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Yuval Neria declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit # 69, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Erel Shvil, Heather L. Rusch, Gregory M. Sullivan & Yuval Neria

  2. New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit # 69, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Erel Shvil, Gregory M. Sullivan & Yuval Neria

  3. Department of Epidemiology & College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA

    Yuval Neria

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  1. Erel Shvil
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  2. Heather L. Rusch
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Correspondence to Erel Shvil.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Anxiety Disorders

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Shvil, E., Rusch, H.L., Sullivan, G.M. et al. Neural, Psychophysiological, and Behavioral Markers of Fear Processing in PTSD: A Review of the Literature. Curr Psychiatry Rep 15, 358 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-013-0358-3

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