Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Working Memory: a Systematic Review

Working Memory (TM) is a cognitive domain related to the temporary manipulation of information. Although its impact on stress and anxiety situations is assumed to be evident, few studies have investigated its functioning in individuals exposed to traumatic situations. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Working Memory and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A systematic review was carried out based on the PRISMA method using the Medline, Web of Science and Scielo databases. The final sample included 12 studies that, in their prevalence, indicate WM damage in subjects with PTSD. In addition, it was observed that the most studied population is composed of military personnel exposed to combat related traumas, and the most investigated WM subcomponente was the phonological loop, based on the digit task. These results contribute to an integrated neurocognitive approach for the formulation of cases and treatment planning for people with post-traumatic symptoms, which may contribute to the development of future research and to fill in gaps of the understanding between emotion-cognition in psychopathological cases. © 2022, Associação Brasileira de Psicologia.