Neuromarkers of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in a patient after bilateral hand amputation - ERP case study

• Published in: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 265 - 270
• Main Authors: Chrapusta, Anna, Kropotov, Juri D, Pąchalska, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Poland Institute of Rural Health 08.06.2017
• Subjects: Adult; Amputation; Amputation, Surgical; Anxiety; Brain injury; Case reports; Case studies; EEG; Event-related potentials; Evoked Potentials; flashback; Go/no-go discrimination learning; Hand Injuries - complications; Hand Injuries - surgery; Humans; Male; Post traumatic stress disorder; replantation; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - physiopathology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Young Adult; replantation; anxiety; flashback
• ISSN: 1232-1966; 1898-2263
• DOI: 10.26444/aaem/74597

. There is a lack in the worldwide literature of reports on the Neuromarkers of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in patients after bilateral hand amputation The aim of this study was to test a hypothesis regarding developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in a patient after bilateral hand amputation with the use of Event Related Potentials (ERPs). On the basis of previous research, the amplitudes of P3 ERP components elicited in the cued GO/NOGO tasks have been chosen as candidates for neuromarkers of PTSD. . A 24-year-old patient had undergone bilateral hand amputation 12 months previously. The patient was repeatedly operated on (he had undergone successful bilateral hand replantation) and despite the severity of the injuries, he recovered. However, the patient complained of flashbacks, anxiety and sleep difficulties. Specialist tests showed the presence of PTSD. The patient participated in the cued GO/NOGO task (Kropotov, 2009) with recording 19-channel EEG. P3 GO and NOGO waves in this task were found to be significantly smaller, in comparison to a group of healthy control subjects of the same age (N=23) taken from the HBI normative database (https://www.hbimed.com/). This observed pattern of ERP waves in the patient corresponds to the pattern found in PTSD patients. ERPs in a GO/NOGO task can be used in the assessment of the functional brain changes induced by chronic PTSD.