scholarly journals Epigenetic biotypes of post-traumatic stress disorder in war-zone exposed veteran and active duty males

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruoting Yang ◽  
◽  
Aarti Gautam ◽  
Derese Getnet ◽  
Bernie J. Daigle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Future Utility ◽  
Ptsd Group

AbstractPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous condition evidenced by the absence of objective physiological measurements applicable to all who meet the criteria for the disorder as well as divergent responses to treatments. This study capitalized on biological diversity observed within the PTSD group observed following epigenome-wide analysis of a well-characterized Discovery cohort (N = 166) consisting of 83 male combat exposed veterans with PTSD, and 83 combat veterans without PTSD in order to identify patterns that might distinguish subtypes. Computational analysis of DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles identified two PTSD biotypes within the PTSD+ group, G1 and G2, associated with 34 clinical features that are associated with PTSD and PTSD comorbidities. The G2 biotype was associated with an increased PTSD risk and had higher polygenic risk scores and a greater methylation compared to the G1 biotype and healthy controls. The findings were validated at a 3-year follow-up (N = 59) of the same individuals as well as in two independent, veteran cohorts (N = 54 and N = 38), and an active duty cohort (N = 133). In some cases, for example Dopamine-PKA-CREB and GABA-PKC-CREB signaling pathways, the biotypes were oppositely dysregulated, suggesting that the biotypes were not simply a function of a dimensional relationship with symptom severity, but may represent distinct biological risk profiles underpinning PTSD. The identification of two novel distinct epigenetic biotypes for PTSD may have future utility in understanding biological and clinical heterogeneity in PTSD and potential applications in risk assessment for active duty military personnel under non-clinician-administered settings, and improvement of PTSD diagnostic markers.

Memory control in post-traumatic stress disorder: evidence from item method directed forgetting in civil war victims in Northern Uganda

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1283-1291 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Zwissler ◽  
A. Hauswald ◽  
S. Koessler ◽  
V. Ertl ◽  
A. Pfeiffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Directed Forgetting ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Memory Control ◽  
War Victims ◽  
Ptsd Group

BackgroundTraumatized individuals and particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients are characterized by memory disturbances that suggest altered memory control. The present study investigated the issue using an item method, directed forgetting (DF) paradigm in 51 civil war victims in Uganda. All participants had been exposed to severe traumatic stress and 26 additionally suffered from PTSD.MethodIn an item cued, DF paradigm photographs were presented, each followed by an instruction to either remember or forget it. A recognition test for all initially presented photographs and thematically similar distracters followed. DF patterns were compared between the non-PTSD and the PTSD groups. Post-experimental ratings of picture valence and arousal were collected and correlated with DF.ResultsResults revealed DF, that is, reduced recognition for ‘to-be-forgotten’ items in the non-PTSD but not in the PTSD group. Moreover, in the non-PTSD, but not in the PTSD group, false alarms were reduced for ‘to-be-remembered’ items. Finally, DF was reduced in those participants who rated the pictures as more arousing, the PTSD group giving, on average, higher arousal ratings.ConclusionsData indicate that DF is reduced in PTSD and that the reduction is related to stimulus arousal. Furthermore, individuals with PTSD are characterized by a more global encoding style than individuals without PTSD, reflected in a higher false alarm rate. In sum, traumatized individuals with (but not without) PTSD are impaired in their ability to selectively control episodic memory encoding. This impairment may contribute to clinical features of the disorder such as intrusions and flashbacks.

Decreased regional cerebral blood flow in medial prefrontal cortex during trauma-unrelated stressful imagery in Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 2563-2572 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Gold ◽  
L. M. Shin ◽  
S. P. Orr ◽  
M. A. Carson ◽  
S. L. Rauch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Ptsd Group

BackgroundNeuroimaging research has demonstrated medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) hyporesponsivity and amygdala hyperresponsivity to trauma-related or emotional stimuli in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Relatively few studies have examined brain responses to the recollection of stressful, but trauma-unrelated, personal events in PTSD. In the current study, we sought to determine whether regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) abnormalities in mPFC and amygdala in PTSD could be observed during the recollection of trauma-unrelated stressful personal events.MethodParticipants were 35 right-handed male combat veterans (MCVs) and female nurse veterans (FNVs) who served in Vietnam: 17 (seven male, 10 female) with current military-related PTSD and 18 (nine male, nine female) with no current or lifetime PTSD. We used positron emission tomography (PET) and script-driven imagery to study rCBF during the recollection of trauma-unrelated stressful versus neutral and traumatic events.ResultsVoxelwise tests revealed significant between-group differences for the trauma-unrelated stressful versus neutral comparison in mPFC, specifically in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Functional region of interest (ROI) analyses demonstrated that this interaction in mPFC represented greater rCBF decreases in the PTSD group during trauma-unrelated stressful imagery relative to neutral imagery compared to the non-PTSD group. No differential amygdala activation was observed between groups or in either group separately.ConclusionsVeterans with PTSD, compared to those without PTSD, exhibited decreased rCBF in mPFC during mental imagery of trauma-unrelated stressful personal experiences. Functional neuroanatomical models of PTSD must account for diminished mPFC responses that extend to emotional stimuli, including stressful personal experiences that are not directly related to PTSD.

scholarly journals Overview of Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Alcohol Misuse Among Active Duty Service Members Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan, Self-Report and Diagnosis

2015 ◽  
Vol 180 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Mustillo ◽  
Ashleigh Kysar-Moon ◽  
Susan R. Douglas ◽  
Ryan Hargraves ◽  
Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic
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