Behavioral neuroscience
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Behavioral neuroscience · Dec 2012
Predictors of susceptibility and resilience in an animal model of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Animal models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are based on fear conditioning where innocuous cues elicit reactions that originally occur to traumatic events--a core feature of PTSD. Another core feature is hyperarousal--exaggerated reactions to stressful events. One limitation of animal models of PTSD is that group effects do not model the sporadic incidence of PTSD. ⋯ We found the magnitude of CRM was correlated with the onset latency and area of conditioned responding during CS-US pairings and with the peak latency of a response during US pretesting. In an animal model of PTSD that more accurately reflects clinical prevalence, we can begin to predict susceptibility not only during responding to a stressful conditioning situation but also during a screening process before the stressful situation takes place. The results suggest relatively innocuous testing may help detect PTSD after trauma and screen for it before trauma occurs.