The purpose of this study was to examine a behavioral index of
hemispheric asymmetry (i.e., visual hierarchical attention) in
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disorder characterized by
anxiety and other emotional symptoms. A reaction time based,
computerized, global–local visual paradigm was administered to 26
PTSD-diagnosed and 22 psychopathology-free right-handed, male Vietnam
War zone veterans. Results indicated that PTSD-diagnosed veterans
displayed slower reaction times to all targets than the no-mental
disorders comparison sample. However, findings also revealed a Group
× Target location interaction in which the PTSD group was slower
than the no-disorders comparison sample to respond to local, but not
global, targets. Moreover, relative global bias was greater among
PTSD-diagnosed veterans than their no-diagnosis counterparts. Findings
provide partial support for the hypothesis that PTSD may be associated
with a functional cerebral asymmetry favoring the right hemisphere.
(JINS, 2004, 10, 709–718.)