engleski

Gene polymorphisms in veterans with combat related posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD is frequent, multifactorial, complex polygenic psychiatric disorder, precipitated by a traumatic event. Since most individuals who experience traumatic stressors never develop PTSD, some other factors (biological, genetic, environmental, early experiences) are responsible for the resilience or vulnerability to develop PTSD. Molecular basis of PTSD is not completely clear, but it is assumed to involve the changes in different neuroendocrine (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal /HPA/ axis) and neurotransmitter (primarily serotonin, noradrenalin, dopamine) systems, and functional gene polymorphisms controlling the activity of the corresponding proteins. Genetic studies in PTSD are scarce, and genes related to HPA axis and dopamine were found to be associated with PTSD. Combat-related PTSD is especially pervasive form of PTSD. Our study determined monoamine oxidase (MAO-B intron 13 G/A), dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (-1021C/T DBH), catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT val158/108met), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF val66met), serotonin transporter (5HTT gene- linked polymorphic region, 5HTTLPR), and serotonin receptor (5HT2A 102T/C) polymorphisms in male Croatian war veterans with current and chronic combat related PTSD (diagnoses made using the SCID and DSM-IV criteria), with and without different psychiatric comorbid disorders, with aim to evaluate genetic risk factors associated to PTSD. No significant differences (chi-square test) were found in the frequencies of the genotypes or alleles for MAO-B, -1021C/T DBH, val158/108met COMT, val66met BDNF, 5HTTLPR and 102T/C 5HT2A between veterans with PTSD, veterans with PTSD and comorbidities and combat exposed veterans who did not develop PTSD. The lack of significant direct effects of genotypes of alleles on manifestation of PTSD did not support our hypothesis that biomarkers are altered in PTSD. Given the complexity of the clinical presentation of PTSD, future studies should elucidate the relationship between genetic risk factors and endophenotypes, i.e. smaller biological and psychological sub- symptoms of PTSD, that can serve as biomarkers of vulnerability and resilience.

PTSD ; gene polymorphisms ; monoamine oxidase type B ; dopamine-beta-hydroxylase ; catechol-o-methyltransferase ; brain derived neurotrophic factor ; serotonin transporter ; 5HT2A receptor

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