Genome-Wide Association Analysis Reveals Specific Genes in PTSD and Possible Treatment Markers

Specific genes associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) validate the biological coherence of the syndrome and may provide new considerations for treatment, according to a study published online in Nature Genetics.

In the genome-wide association study (GWAS), researchers at the University of California San Diego, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System, California, and VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, identified 18 specific, fixed positions on chromosomes that appear associated with PTSD. In general, GWAS involves rapidly scanning the genomes from many different people and looking for markers associated with a particular disease.

Researchers analyzed the complete genomes of more than 250,000 participants in the Million Veteran Program with European and African ancestry, using electronic health records to find either a PTSD diagnosis or quantitative symptoms. The Million Veteran program, sponsored by the US Department of Veteran Affairs, is a research effort to understand how genes, lifestyle, and military exposures affect health and illness.

Repeated Ketamine Infusions May Reduce PTSD Symptom Severity

Researchers found multiple genes repeatedly implicated in different PTSD phenotypes by directly comparing the heritability of diagnostic PTSD cases with continuous, symptom-based phenotypes of PTSD. While symptoms of PTSD are diverse, their genetic overlap is high, researchers said.

The multiple genes involved in various PTSD phenotypes may be suitable targets for therapeutic drugs and further validate the biology of PTSD's connection to comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders, according to the study.

“These findings give us new insights into the biological basis of PTSD and point to some possible next steps for testing new treatments,” said coprincipal investigator Joel Gelernter, MD, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

—Meagan Thistle

References

Stein MB, Levey DF, Cheng Z, et al. Genome-wide association analyses of post-traumatic stress disorder and its symptom subdomains in the Million Veteran Program. Nature Genetics. 2021 53(2):174-184.

Genomic studies implicate specific genes in post-traumatic stress disorder [press release]. San Diego, California: University of California San Diego Health; January 28, 2021.