The Relationship Between Neuropsychological Functioning and Trauma Within the LGB Community

Abstract

Psychological stressors experienced by individuals has been shown to impact the brain both structurally and functionally. Two major areas indicated to be impacted by psychological stress are the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, which are crucial to memory and executive functioning. The propensity for members of the LGB population to experience various forms of trauma makes studying neuropsychological functioning among this population particularly important. Due to inadequate literature focusing on this topic, my study sought to investigate the relationship between psychological stressors and neuropsychological functioning on tests of memory and executive functioning in the LGB population. A sample of 23 participants were administered questionnaires to assess depression and victimization and then subsequently administered neuropsychological tests designed to measure memory and executive functioning. Correlational analysis showed no relationship between victimization and scores on memory and executive functioning tests.