Returning soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder can remain stuck in a ‘constant combat’ mentality even a year after being inactive from duty. This mentality comes from the disorder’s negative effects on a soldier’s attention, according to a Boston University School of Medicine study released Sept. 8.

The Neurocognition Deployment Health Study found that PTSD causes both attention deficits and perpetually fast reaction times that hurt veterans’ well being and daily lives, lead researcher and BUSM Psychiatry professor Jennifer Vasterling said.

The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry scientific journal last Tuesday, evaluated 268 regular active-duty soldiers from 2003 to 2006 by administering a number of psychological tests after their return from Iraq, Vasterling said.

Bostva Memory Disorders Department Professor Mieke Verfaellie said PTSD causes problems that can last a lifetime.

‘There is considerable evidence that individuals with PTSD have attentional problems,’ Verfaellie, a neuropsychology specialist, said in an email.’ ‘PTSD is a chronic condition that can persist even years after the stressful event.’

Verfaellie said a major finding in the study was the discovery that early after deployment, ‘attentional problems’ weren’t linked to PTSD, but a year later PTSD predicted these problems.

‘This is important because it suggests with time, the persistence of a stress reaction can lead to brain changes that directly impact cognitive performance,’ he said.

Vasterling said she hopes to raise awareness for continual soldier health issues years after active duty.

‘I hope the study draws attention to the importance of treating psychological symptoms as a result of war zone participation right off the bat . . . before they become long lasting,’ Vasterling, chief of psychology at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, said.

Researchers collected data through field research at various military installations, VA medical centers and universities. The computerized tests measured the soldiers’ response times, attention and memory.

Though soldiers who experienced more direct combat had quicker reaction times initially, the neurotransmitter systems that causes this reaction is supposed to return to a steady state afterward. Continual over-activation of the brain is dangerous, Vasterling said.

‘A person can’t stay hyped up for that long without doing a number on their body and immune system,’ she said.

Soldiers who suffer from such long-term stress can acquire health conditions associated with high stress, such as cardiovascular disease. With the reduced ability to concentrate, simple activities become harder, Vasterling said.

Vasterling said her team plans to continue the study by seeing how veterans are coping with stress five to seven years after they initial met with them, in order to determine any psychological patterns. This may help pinpoint an effective method of treatment, she said.

The Iraq veterans said they appreciate the study because it shows concern for effects of war on soldiers, Vasterling said.’

‘It’s like they were saying, ‘Wow, you actually care about how I’m doing?” Vasterling said.

Metropolitan School junior Federico Trevino said he recently saw a documentary about brain damage in soldiers returning from Iraq.

‘I am very interested in this type of material because it is happening right now,’ Trevino said.

Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadet Scott Haviland said awareness has improved about medical issues in soldiers returning from war.

‘I know guys that have been over there and come back,’ Haviland, a CAS junior, said. ‘They’ve done a much better job nowadays to deal with that.’