THE IMPACT OF PTSD SYMPTOMS ON JUDGMENT OF NEUTRAL FACES

Neutral faces are often ambiguous, and some factors, such as context and individual history, may affect face evaluation. For example, neuroimaging evidence shows that trauma-exposed individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) fail to differentiate between angry and neutral facial expressions. On the other hand, a behavioral study described that individuals with PTSD did not interpret neutral facial expressions more negatively than controls. Thus, the impact of trauma exposure on neutral face processing is not clear, and no study has assessed whether contextual modulation of neutral face processing is affected by PTSD symptoms.