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El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo describir patrones de activación cerebral mediante una técnica de Imagen por resonancia magnética funcional -fMRI- (abreviatura en inglés de Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) en una muestra de niños con Trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT) y compararlos con un grupo de controles. Estudio cuasi-experimental en el que se tomó un grupo de 15 niños con TEPT y se comparó con un grupo de 7 niños sin TEPT. Se emplearon dos tareas experimentales: una prueba de caras y una versión del Stroop emocional. Los resultados preliminares, señalan diferencias en el procesamiento de estímulos, principalmente de carácter negativo en los niños con TEPT y cambios en los patrones de activación a nivel de estructuras frontales. Se concluye que el trauma a edad temprana afecta el curso normal del desarrollo cerebral y se evidencia la importancia de abordar los aspectos explícitos e implícitos asociados a la experiencia traumática como parte de la intervención.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a neuropsychological condition caused by exposure to chronic stressors and extreme trauma. In past decades, Colombia (South America) has experienced high levels of armed conflict, which created an environment of chronic stress, resulting in an increased incidence of PTSD in children. Limited research exists on the effects of PTSD on emotional memory functioning of these Colombian youth living in chronically stressful environments. In the present study, 23 PTSD affected youth and 26 controls were asked to recall items from a memorised word list, as well as remembering details from a short emotional story. Although no significant differences were found for word list memory, deficits for emotional story content were found in the PTSD youth, particularly for facts involving negative emotional details. The latter may suggest a deficit in executive functioning for the integration of emotionally laden stimuli, perhaps induced as a by-product of their traumatic experiences.

espanolResumen El objetivo del presente estudio es validar un segundo grupo de imagenes del Sistema Internacional de Imagenes Afectiva (IAPS) en poblacion colombiana, con el fin de aumentar el banco de imagenes que puedan ser utilizadas en investigaciones en los campos de la emocion, la atencion y la memoria, entre otros. Se validaron 240 imagenes pertenecientes a los conjuntos 15, 16, 17 y 18 del IAPS en una muestra de 1.222 personas provenientes de cinco ciudades del pais (Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla y Bucaramanga). Para evaluar la respuesta emocional ante las imagenes en las dimensiones de valencia, arousal y dominancia se utilizo el Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM). Los resultados mostraron que las imagenes se distribuyeron de la forma esperada en el espacio afectivo bidimensional compuesto por las dimensiones de valencia y arousal. Se identifico un sesgo emocional positivo en los hombres y un sesgo emocional negativo en las mujeres. Las diferencias entre regiones y estrato socioeconomico se presentaron unicamente en arousal y dominancia, no en valencia. En conjunto, los resultados sugieren que estas imagenes pueden ser utilizadas para inducir estados afectivos en la poblacion colombiana de forma controlada, lo que permite su uso para el estudio cientifico y experimental de diferentes procesos psicologicos, como la emocion, la motivacion y la atencion. EnglishAbstract The aim of this study was to validate a second group of images of the International Affective Pictures System (IAPS) in Colombian population, in order to increase the bank of images that can be used in research in the fields of emotion, attention and memory, among others. 240 pictures belonging to sets 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the IAPS were validated in a sample of 1222 participants from five cities in the country (Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga). To assess the emotional response to images in the valence, arousal and dominance dimensions, the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) was used. The results showed that the pictures were distributed as expected in the two-dimensional affective space composed of the valence and arousal dimensions. A positive emotional bias was identified in men and a negative emotional bias in women. The differences between regions and socioeconomic strata were presented only in arousal and dominance, not in valence. Together, the results suggest that these images can be used to induce affective states in the Colombian population in a controlled manner, which allows their use for the scientific and experimental study of different psychological processes, such as emotion, motivation and attention.

Background/Objective: Several diagnostic criteria of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are remarkably similar to symptoms reported by individuals with depression, particularly as they manifest as cognitive processing deficits in children. Because of this overlap in profile and the high rate of comorbidity of PTSD and depression (48% to 69%), pinpointing similarities/differences in cognitive processes related to each of these disorders is essential to accurate diagnosis. This study aims to examine cognitive performance profiles of 23 children who have been victims of PTSD and to compare their results with 23 children with depression and 24 controls. Method: Empirical study, observational and descriptive methodologies were performed using several neuropsychological tests to assess IQ, attention, memory and executive function. Statistical comparisons between groups were made using the non-parametric Kruskall-Wallis test and post-hoc analyses were conducted using a Mann Whitney U test, as well as Quade's co-variance analysis. Results: Data show different profiles of cognitive performance in those with PTSD compared to those with depression and controls. Conclusions: The findings suggests that PTSD and depressed children differ somewhat in their cognitive profiles, and the differences in IQ found between those with PTSD and those without are not necessarily a confounding variable, but may rather be a consequence of their traumatic experience.

Objetivo: Describir el rendimiento cognitivo en un grupo de personas afectadas por un atentado con carro bomba. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo correlacional que incluyó una muestra de 50 participantes divididos en dos grupos: uno conformado por 25 participantes que vivieron una situación traumática asociada a un atentado con carro bomba, en las instalaciones donde laboraban. El otro grupo estuvo conformado por 25 partipantes que trabajaban en la misma institución pero no han tenido antecedentes de eventos traumáticos. Los grupos fueron equiparados entre sí en las variables demográficas de sexo, edad, nivel socioeconómico y académico, y estado civil. Las pruebas aplicadas evaluaron los dominios cognitivos de atención, memoria y función ejecutiva. Resultados: Al comparar el desempeño de ambos grupos, se encontraron diferencias significativas en pruebas que evaluan la integridad del lóbulo frontal. Conclusiones: Se discute la necesidad de tomar en cuenta tanto la diferencia de tipo estadístico como la relevancia clínica de los resultados y se ofrecen sugerencias para incluir dentro de los aspectos de evaluación e intervención de las víctimas con estrés postraumático variables de tipo neuropsicológico que pueden afectar los procesos de reinserción laboral y académico.

A review of the epistemological basis of neuropsychology is done in order to clarify its foundations and its dual status as a discipline rooted in biology and psychology. This work is justified from two fundamental issues that are faced by neuropsychology: from an external perspective based on the upswing of certain disciplines, which by definition seem to have similar subjects of study to neuropsychology; however, given the complexity of the study of the relationship between the behavior and the brain, it leads to a duplicity of efforts that do not add anything to the understanding of the subject matter. On the other hand, from an internal perspective, the main issue appears when diverse theoretical positions are presented within neuropsychology as schools that must stand as if they were the only perspective. To provide a tentative answer, this paper reviews three theoretical approaches within neuropsychology: Russian reflexology and the cultural-historical perspective, connectionism, and cognitive neuropsychology. The conclusion leads towards a set of principles that, as a proposal, should guide the discipline development.