Automatic detection and inhibition of neutral and emotional stimuli in post-traumatic stress disorder: an eye-tracking study: eye-tracking data of an original antisaccade task

This research project addresses the understanding of attentional biases post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This psychiatric condition is mainly characterized by symptoms of intrusion (flashbacks), avoidance, alteration of arousal and reactivity (hypervigilance), and negative mood and cognitions persisting one month after the exposure of a traumatic event [American Psychiatric Association 2013]. Clinical observations as well as empirical research highlighted the symptom of hypervigilance as being central in the PTSD symptomatology, considering that other clinical features could be maintained by it [Ehlers and Clark 2000]. Attentional Control theory has described the hypervigilance in anxious disorders as the co-occurrence of two cognitive processes : an enhanced detection of threatening information followed by difficulties to inhibit their processing [Eysenck et al. 2007]. Nevertheless, attentional control theory has never been applied to PTSD. This project aims at providing cognitive evidence of hypervigilance symptoms in PTSD using eye-tracking during the realization of reliable Miyake tasks [Eysenck and Derakshan 2011]. Therefore, our first aim is to model the co-occurring processes of hypervigilance using eye-tracking technology. Indeed, behavioral measures (as reaction time) do not allow a clear representation of cognitive processes occurring subconsciously in a few milliseconds [Felmingham 2016]. Therefore, eye-tracking technology is essential in our studies. Secondly, we aim to analyze the differential impact of trauma-related stimulus vs negative stimuli on PTSD patients, by conducting scan paths following both of those stimuli presentation. This research project is divided into four studies. The first one will be described is this doctoral symposium.