Influence of post-traumatic stress and abnormal spirometry on cognition in 9/11 WTC responders

Oregon Convention Center 

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and abnormal spirometry are highly prevalent mental and health conditions in World Trade Center (WTC) responders. We hypothesized that PTSD symptomatology and abnormal spirometry are synergistically associated with cognitive performance in WTC responders. PTSD symptomatology was assessed using the PCL-IV, and we calculated the FEV1/FVC ratio to measure pulmonary function and characterize abnormal spirometry. Cogstate assessment measured cognitive performance. We evaluated PTSD, pulmonary function and their interaction on cognitive performance by linear regressions adjusting for confounders. PTSD symptomatology and pulmonary function appeared to have a significant synergistic effect on cognitive performance in that higher severity of PTSD symptomatology in the presence of lower pulmonary function was associated with poorer cognitive performance. Results suggested chronic stress and lung damage might share underlying biological mechanisms, including inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways, which might also affect the brain. Early intervention efforts to mitigate preventable cognitive decline in high-risk populations should be studied.

cognitive performance

post-traumatic stress

pulmonary function

World Trade Center responders 

Mental Health Statistics Section