Probing reward function in post-traumatic stress disorder with beautiful facial images

Elman, Igor; Ariely, Dan; Mazar, Nina; Aharon, Itzhak; Lasko, Natasha B.; Macklin, Michael L.; Orr, Scott P.; Lukas, Scott E.; Pitman, Roger K.

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2005.04.002

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Volume 135, Issue 3 , Pages 179-183, 30 June 2005

Probing reward function in post-traumatic stress disorder with beautiful facial images

Igor Elman
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
- Corresponding author. Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street Belmont, MA 02478, USA. Tel.: +1 617 855 3692; fax: +1 617 855 3711.
Dan Ariely
- Program in Media Arts and Sciences and Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
Nina Mazar
- Program in Media Arts and Sciences and Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
Itzhak Aharon
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
Natasha B. Lasko
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Manchester, NH 03104, USA
Michael L. Macklin
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Manchester, NH 03104, USA
Scott P. Orr
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Manchester, NH 03104, USA
Scott E. Lukas
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
Roger K. Pitman
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA

Received 1 September 2004; received in revised form 26 April 2005; accepted 27 April 2005.

Abstract

Reward dysfunction may be implicated in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study applied a behavioral probe, known to activate brain reward regions, to subjects with PTSD. Male heterosexual Vietnam veterans with (n=12) or without (n=11) current PTSD were administered two tasks: (a) key pressing to change the viewing time of average or beautiful female or male facial images, and (b) rating the attractiveness of these images. There were no significant group differences in the attractiveness ratings. However, PTSD patients expended less effort to extend the viewing time of the beautiful female faces. These findings suggest a reward deficit in PTSD.