Biomarkers in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Overview and Implications for Future Research

PTSD can develop in the aftermath of traumatic incidents like combat, sexual abuse, or life threatening accidents. Unfortunately, there are still no biomarkers for this debilitating anxiety disorder in clinical use. Anyhow, there are numerous studies describing potential PTSD biomarkers, some of which might progress to the point of practical use in the future. Here, we outline and comment on some of the most prominent findings on potential imaging, psychological, endocrine, and molecular PTSD biomarkers and classify them into risk, disease, and therapy markers. Since for most of these potential PTSD markers a causal role in PTSD has been demonstrated or at least postulated, this review also gives an overview on the current state of research on PTSD pathobiology.

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Potential Biomarkers of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Psychiatry ◽

10.30629/2618-6667-2021-19-3-90-99 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 90-99

Author(s):

N. N. Petrova ◽

B. G. Butoma ◽

M. V. Dorofeikova

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Molecular Genetic ◽

Risk Groups ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Current State ◽

State Of Research ◽

Somatic Diseases

Background: although the search for biomarkers of mental disorders that is aimed at improving diagnosis, individualizing therapy based on knowledge of pathophysiological processes and preventing the development of mental illness is actively underway for endogenous mental disorders, the study of biological markers in non-endogenous mental disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in particular has received much less attention. Aim: to analyze current state of research dedicated to genetic and biochemical biomarkers that can be used to identify high risk groups and clarify the diagnosis of PTSD. Material and method: keywords “biomarkers”, “post-traumatic stress disorder”, “pathogenesis” have been used to fi nd in PubMed articles published in 2010–2020. Conclusion: research methods for elucidating the mechanisms of PTSD are actively developing, however, the identifi cation of specifi c biomarkers (biochemical, molecular, genetic, epigenetic, neuroimaging, psychophysiological) is a complicated task. This complexity is associated with numerous pathogenic mechanisms of PTSD and frequent comorbidity with mental disorders (depression, anxiety) and somatic diseases, as well as lack of specifi city of detected biomarkers.

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Mindfulness and Fear Extinction: A Brief Review of Its Current Neuropsychological Literature and Possible Implications for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Psychological Reports ◽

10.1177/0033294117740137 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 121 (5) ◽

pp. 792-814 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Auretta S. Kummar

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Fear Extinction ◽

Future Research ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Current State

Research in the neuroscience of mindfulness has grown rapidly in recent years. This includes empirical investigations into structural and functional changes in several brain regions—particularly, the hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, and the amygdala—in association with the practice of mindfulness. Of interest to the current paper is that such brain regions are also implicated in empirical research focusing on fear extinction. While fear extinction has, therefore, been suggested as one of the possible mechanisms to underlie the positive effects of mindfulness, the conceptual links and research implications have lacked specific focus and detailed discussion in the literature. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, two-fold. First, this paper briefly reviews the extant literature on the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying mindfulness—particularly that, which has been found to be similarly implied in fear extinction—and hence, suggests future research directions based on its current state in the literature. Second, this paper explores the implications of this for fear-based psychopathologies, specifically for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Discussion from this paper suggests the idea of fear extinction as an underlying mechanism of mindfulness to be one that is still preliminary, yet promising; in turn, elucidating the need for further methodologically rigorous study to specifically determine fear extinction as a result of mindfulness, as well as to incorporate neuroimaging techniques in supporting the existing literature that have found preliminary support of mindfulness for PTSD.

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Chilean Validation of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist–Civilian Version (PCL–C) after the Earthquake on February 27, 2010

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/02.13.15.17.pr0.109.4.47-58 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 109 (1) ◽

pp. 47-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Pablo Vera-Villarroel ◽

Karem Celis-Atenas ◽

Natalia Córdova-Rubio ◽

Izabela Zych ◽

Gualberto Buela-Casal

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Natural Disaster ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Event ◽

Psychometric Data ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Life Threatening Event ◽

Subsequent Intervention

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder in which an individual re-experiences a traumatic event, avoids situations related to it, and shows excessive arousal. The disorder appears after experiencing a life-threatening event, such as a war or a natural disaster. Thus, the validation of tests which assess the disorder after the earthquake on February 27, 2010, in Chile is crucial for its evaluation and subsequent intervention. The present study includes psychometric data for the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist–Civilian version (PCL–C) on a sample of 509 survivors of the disaster. Values indicate good psychometric properties of the questionnaire.

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Factors Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology Among Women Who Have Experienced Sexual Assault in Canada

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260519860084 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 088626051986008

Author(s):

Janice Du Mont ◽

Holly Johnson ◽

Cassandra Hill

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Dating Violence ◽

Sexual Victimization ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

General Social Survey ◽

Future Research ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Sexually Assaulted

There is a dearth of information about the association of victim-related and assailant-related characteristics and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among sexually assaulted women. Recently, Statistics Canada included items measuring the possible presence of PTSD symptoms in their 2014 nationally representative General Social Survey on Victimization (GSS-V), for the purpose of improving the understanding of mental health impacts associated with sexual victimization. The present study used the GSS-V to examine the association of sociodemographic, health, and assailant characteristics and prior traumatic experiences in the form of physical or sexual dating violence, physical assault, stalking, childhood abuse, and witnessing of violence between parents with PTSD symptomology among sexually assaulted women. Among 319 women who reported experiencing at least one incident of sexual assault in the 12 months prior to the survey, 68.6% had experienced at least one negative emotional impact as a result, among whom, 43.6% reported past-month PTSD symptoms. Logistic regression modeling revealed that prior traumatic events in the form of physical or sexual dating violence, stalking, and having witnessed violence between parents were associated with higher odds of experiencing PTSD symptoms, as was having been sexually assaulted by a known assailant. In contrast, the odds of experiencing PTSD symptoms was lower for Aboriginal or visible minority women. The results suggest that PTSD symptoms in the near aftermath of sexual victimization are common, and there are a range of factors that contribute to the likelihood of developing these symptoms. Implications for future research are discussed.

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