This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Barlow-Ogden K, Poynter W. Mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder: Investigation of visual attention in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2012;49(7):1101–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188

Slideshow ProjectDOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188JSP

Mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder:

Investigation of visual attention in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation

Enduring Freedom veteransKristen Barlow-Ogden, MA; William Poynter, PhD

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Barlow-Ogden K, Poynter W. Mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder: Investigation of visual attention in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2012;49(7):1101–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188

Slideshow ProjectDOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188JSP

• Aim – Compare visual attentional performance of veterans

diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) + posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), PTSD only, or neither (controls).

• Relevance– Veterans with mTBI commonly report attention

problems, but relatively few studies have investigated types and levels of behavioral attentional deficits in veterans with mTBI + PTSD.

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Barlow-Ogden K, Poynter W. Mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder: Investigation of visual attention in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2012;49(7):1101–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188

Slideshow ProjectDOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188JSP

Methods• 47 combat veterans participated.

– 19 to 45 yr old.

– Served in Operation Iraqi and/or Enduring Freedom • Used LANT (lateralized attention network task).

– Computerized visual attention task that measures speed and accuracy with which subjects shift attention to locations in visual field (VF) and selectively focus attention on target stimuli.

– Selectively flashes stimuli to the right and left VFs, so hemispheric asymmetries in attentional performance can also be measured.

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Barlow-Ogden K, Poynter W. Mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder: Investigation of visual attention in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2012;49(7):1101–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188

Slideshow ProjectDOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188JSP

Visual stimuli and timeline of LANT stimulus sequence.

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Barlow-Ogden K, Poynter W. Mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder: Investigation of visual attention in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2012;49(7):1101–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188

Slideshow ProjectDOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188JSP

Results• mTBI+PTSD group (vs PTSD and control groups):

– Slower attentional responses. – More variable responses.

• Suggests difficulty with attentional vigilance.

• Hemispheric asymmetries in attentional performance.– Participants with mTBI+PTSD were less efficient in

orienting visual attention to stimuli flashed to the left VF.

• Suggests right hemisphere deficit.

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Barlow-Ogden K, Poynter W. Mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder: Investigation of visual attention in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2012;49(7):1101–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188

Slideshow ProjectDOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0188JSPConclusion

• Overall, veterans with mTBI + PTSD displayed longer response times and were less accurate than PTSD only and control groups, especially when cues were presented to left VF.