PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY OF THE POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER - FROM SULFUR FUMES TO BEHAVIORAL-GENETICS

Neurophysiological hypotheses regarding the body-mind relationship in stress disorders have been formulated more than 300 years ago. In 1941 Abraham Kardiner ascribed the name ''physioneurosis'' to the conditio n known today as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Psychophysiolog ical studies of PTSD started with the demonstration of increased respo nsiveness to external stimuli reminiscent of the traumatic event. Late r, abnormal responses to mental imagery were studied, and these studie s have resulted in new tools for the assessment and diagnosis of the d isorder. Recent studies focus on responses to elementary stimulation, such as the auditory startle reflex, thereby exploring basic CNS routi nes of habituation and stimulus-discrimination. This article reviews t he rapidly expanding literature on the psychophysiology of PTSD. Speci al emphasis is given to recent studies of the auditory startle and to their implications for the neurobiology of PTSD.