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Baghaei A, Zoshk MY, Hosseini M, Fasihi H, Nassireslami E, Shayesteh S, Laripour R, Amoli AE, Heidari R, Chamanara M. Prominent genetic variants and epigenetic changes in post-traumatic stress disorder among combat veterans. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:325. [PMID: 38393604 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09276-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most widespread and disabling psychiatric disorders among combat veterans. Substantial interindividual variability in susceptibility to PTSD suggests the presence of different risk factors for this disorder. Twin and family studies confirm genetic factors as important risk factors for PTSD. In addition to genetic factors, epigenetic factors, especially DNA methylation, can be considered as a potential mechanism in changing the risk of PTSD. So far, many genetic and epigenetic association studies have been conducted in relation to PTSD. In genetic studies, many single nucleotide polymorphisms have been identified as PTSD risk factors. Meanwhile, the variations in catecholamines-related genes, serotonin transporter and receptors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, inflammatory factors, and apolipoprotein E are the most prominent candidates. CpG methylation in the upstream regions of many genes is also considered a PTSD risk factor. Accurate identification of genetic and epigenetic changes associated with PTSD can lead to the presentation of suitable biomarkers for susceptible individuals to this disorder. This study aimed to delineate prominent genetic variations and epigenetic changes associated with post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans who have experienced combat, focusing on genetic and epigenetic association studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmadali Baghaei
- Trauma Research center, AJA university of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mohsen Hosseini
- The Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (TIPS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Fasihi
- Biomaterial and Medicinal Chemistry Research Center, AJA University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Nassireslami
- Toxicology Research Center, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sevda Shayesteh
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | - Reza Laripour
- Social and Preventive Medicine Department, School of Medicine, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Aynaz Eslami Amoli
- Trauma Research center, AJA university of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Heidari
- Cancer Epidemiology Research Center (AJA-CERTC), AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohsen Chamanara
- Toxicology Research Center, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Student research committee, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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2
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Sumner JA, Cleveland S, Chen T, Gradus JL. Psychological and biological mechanisms linking trauma with cardiovascular disease risk. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:25. [PMID: 36707505 PMCID: PMC9883529 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02330-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, and experiences of psychological trauma have been associated with subsequent CVD onset. Identifying key pathways connecting trauma with CVD has the potential to inform more targeted screening and intervention efforts to offset elevated cardiovascular risk. In this narrative review, we summarize the evidence for key psychological and biological mechanisms linking experiences of trauma with CVD risk. Additionally, we describe various methodologies for measuring these mechanisms in an effort to inform future research related to potential pathways. With regard to mechanisms involving posttraumatic psychopathology, the vast majority of research on psychological distress after trauma and CVD has focused on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even though posttraumatic psychopathology can manifest in other ways as well. Substantial evidence suggests that PTSD predicts the onset of a range of cardiovascular outcomes in trauma-exposed men and women, yet more research is needed to better understand posttraumatic psychopathology more comprehensively and how it may relate to CVD. Further, dysregulation of numerous biological systems may occur after trauma and in the presence of posttraumatic psychopathology; these processes of immune system dysregulation and elevated inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, renin-angiotensin system dysregulation, and accelerated biological aging may all contribute to subsequent cardiovascular risk, although more research on these pathways in the context of traumatic stress is needed. Given that many of these mechanisms are closely intertwined, future research using a systems biology approach may prove fruitful for elucidating how processes unfold to contribute to CVD after trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Sumner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Shiloh Cleveland
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tiffany Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jaimie L Gradus
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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3
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Pivac N, Vuic B, Sagud M, Nedic Erjavec G, Nikolac Perkovic M, Konjevod M, Tudor L, Svob Strac D, Uzun S, Kozumplik O, Uzun S, Mimica N. PTSD, Immune System, and Inflammation. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1411:225-262. [PMID: 36949313 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-7376-5_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe trauma and stress-related disorder associated with different somatic comorbidities, especially cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, and with chronic low-grade inflammation. Altered balance of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, cytokines and chemokines, C-reactive protein, oxidative stress markers, kynurenine pathways, and gut microbiota might be involved in the alterations of certain brain regions regulating fear conditioning and memory processes, that are all altered in PTSD. In addition to the HPA axis, the gut microbiota maintains the balance and interaction of the immune, CNS, and endocrine pathways forming the gut-brain axis. Disbalance in the HPA axis, gut-brain axis, oxidative stress pathways and kynurenine pathways, altered immune signaling and disrupted homeostasis, as well as the association of the PTSD with the inflammation and disrupted cognition support the search for novel strategies for treatment of PTSD. Besides potential anti-inflammatory treatment, dietary interventions or the use of beneficial bacteria, such as probiotics, can potentially improve the composition and the function of the bacterial community in the gut. Therefore, bacterial supplements and controlled dietary changes, with exercise, might have beneficial effects on the psychological and cognitive functions in patients with PTSD. These new treatments should be aimed to attenuate inflammatory processes and consequently to reduce PTSD symptoms but also to improve cognition and reduce cardio-metabolic disorders associated so frequently with PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nela Pivac
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Barbara Vuic
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marina Sagud
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Gordana Nedic Erjavec
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Matea Nikolac Perkovic
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marcela Konjevod
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lucija Tudor
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dubravka Svob Strac
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Suzana Uzun
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
- University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapce, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Sandra Uzun
- Department for Anesthesiology, Reanimatology, and Intensive Care, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ninoslav Mimica
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
- University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapce, Zagreb, Croatia
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4
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Peruzzolo TL, Pinto JV, Roza TH, Shintani AO, Anzolin AP, Gnielka V, Kohmann AM, Marin AS, Lorenzon VR, Brunoni AR, Kapczinski F, Passos IC. Inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:3150-3163. [PMID: 35477973 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01564-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with persistent, low-degree inflammation, which could explain the increased prevalence of autoimmune conditions and accelerated aging among patients. The aim of the present study is to assess which inflammatory and oxidative stress markers are associated with PTSD. We carried out a meta-analytic and meta-regression analysis based on a systematic review of studies comparing inflammatory and oxidative stress markers between patients with PTSD and controls. We undertook meta-analyses whenever values of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were available in two or more studies. Overall, 28,008 abstracts were identified, and 54 studies were included, with a total of 8394 participants. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. Concentrations of C-reactive protein (SMD = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.21 to 1.06; p = 0.0031; k = 12), interleukin 6 (SMD = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.36 to 1.52; p = 0.0014; k = 32), and tumor necrosis factor-α (SMD = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.23 to 1.55; p = 0.0080; k = 24) were significantly increased in patients with PTSD in comparison with healthy controls. Interleukin 1β levels almost reached the threshold for significance (SMD = 1.20; 95% CI: -0.04 to 2.44; p = 0.0569; k = 15). No oxidative stress marker was associated with PTSD. These findings may explain why PTSD is associated with accelerated aging and illnesses in which immune activation has a key role, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In addition, they pointed to the potential role of inflammatory markers as therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Lauxen Peruzzolo
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Jairo Vinícius Pinto
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,University Hospital, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Thiago Henrique Roza
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Augusto Ossamu Shintani
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Anzolin
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Gnielka
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - André Moura Kohmann
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Amanda Salvador Marin
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Vitória Ruschel Lorenzon
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - André Russowsky Brunoni
- Centro de Pesquisas Clínicas e Epidemiológicas, Hospital Universitário, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.,Departamentos de Clínica Médica e Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.,Instituto Nacional de Biomarcadores em Psiquiatria (IMBION), Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Flávio Kapczinski
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Ives Cavalcante Passos
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE) and Centro de Pesquisa Clínica (CPC), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. .,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. .,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Translacional em Medicina (INCT-TM), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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5
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Gupta S, Guleria RS. Involvement of Nuclear Factor-κB in Inflammation and Neuronal Plasticity Associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Cells 2022; 11:cells11132034. [PMID: 35805118 PMCID: PMC9265339 DOI: 10.3390/cells11132034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition which develops either due to stress or witnessing a traumatic situation. PTSD is characterized by acute and chronic stress response exhibit anxiety, fear, and an increased inflammatory etiology. Inflammation contributes a critical role in several parts of the brain that control fear and flashback cognatic function. It is known that impairment of the neurological circuit leads to the development of PTSD. Evidence has suggested that dysregulation of the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and inflammatory responsiveness are pivotal and a greater risk in PTSD. NF-κB, a master regulator for inflammation, has been showed to modulate memory reconsolidation and synaptic plasticity; however, NF-κB’s association with PTSD remain elusive. In this review, we provide relevant findings regarding NF-κB activity in various components of brain and describe a potential mechanism linking PTSD using preclinical and clinical models. We envisage NF-κB signaling as a crucial mediator for inflammation, cognitive function, memory restoration and behavioral actions of stress and suggest that it could be used for therapeutic intervention in PTSD.
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Hawn SE, Neale Z, Wolf EJ, Zhao X, Pierce M, Fein-Schaffer D, Milberg W, McGlinchey R, Logue M, Miller MW. Methylation of the AIM2 gene: An epigenetic mediator of PTSD-related inflammation and neuropathology plasma biomarkers. Depress Anxiety 2022; 39:323-333. [PMID: 35312143 PMCID: PMC8996332 DOI: 10.1002/da.23247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with inflammation and various forms of chronic disease. The Absent in Melanoma 2 (AIM2) gene has been implicated in mechanisms of inflammation and anxiety, and methylation at a particular locus in this gene (cg10636246) has previously been shown to influence the association between PTSD and elevated C-reactive protein levels in blood. METHOD We tested if this association might extend to other indicators of inflammation and to plasma-based measures of neuropathology in a cohort of post-9/11 US military veterans. Using a Bayesian approach, mediation models were tested cross-sectionally (n = 478) and longitudinally (n = 298). Peripheral markers of inflammation and neuropathology were measured with ultra-sensitive Single Molecule Array (Simoa®) technology. RESULTS Analyses revealed indirect effects of PTSD symptom severity on peripheral indices of both inflammation (interleukin [IL]6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α; indirect standardized [std.] ß range = 0.018-0.023, all p-values adjusted for multiple testing [padj ] < 0.05) and neuropathology (neurofilament light [NFL]; indirect std. ß = -0.018, padj = 0.02) via AIM2 methylation. This indirect effect was also evident when predicting IL-10 at a follow-up assessment (indirect std. ß = -0.018, padj = 0.04) controlling for baseline IL-10. CONCLUSIONS Given that AIM2 methylation mediated the association between PTSD symptoms and multiple inflammatory and neuropathology markers, our results suggest that AIM2 methylation may offer clinical utility for indexing risk for adverse health outcomes associated with these peripheral indices of inflammation and neuropathology. Results also suggest a possible shared etiology underlying the frequent co-occurrence of inflammation and neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sage E Hawn
- National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Zoe Neale
- National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Erika J Wolf
- National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Xiang Zhao
- National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Meghan Pierce
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) and Geriatric Research, Educational and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dana Fein-Schaffer
- National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - William Milberg
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) and Geriatric Research, Educational and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Regina McGlinchey
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) and Geriatric Research, Educational and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark Logue
- National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Biomedical Genetics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark W Miller
- National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Xue F, Tang X, Kim G, Koenen KC, Martin CL, Galea S, Wildman D, Uddin M, Qu A. Heterogeneous Mediation Analysis on Epigenomic PTSD and Traumatic Stress in a Predominantly African American Cohort. J Am Stat Assoc 2022; 117:1669-1683. [PMID: 36875798 PMCID: PMC9980467 DOI: 10.1080/01621459.2022.2089572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
DNA methylation (DNAm) has been suggested to play a critical role in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), through mediating the relationship between trauma and PTSD. However, this underlying mechanism of PTSD for African Americans still remains unknown. To fill this gap, in this article, we investigate how DNAm mediates the effects of traumatic experiences on PTSD symptoms in the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study (DNHS) (2008-2013) which involves primarily African Americans adults. To achieve this, we develop a new mediation analysis approach for high-dimensional potential DNAm mediators. A key novelty of our method is that we consider heterogeneity in mediation effects across subpopulations. Specifically, mediators in different subpopulations could have opposite effects on the outcome, and thus could be difficult to identify under a traditional homogeneous model framework. In contrast, the proposed method can estimate heterogeneous mediation effects and identifies subpopulations in which individuals share similar effects. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms existing methods for both homogeneous and heterogeneous data. We also present our mediation analysis results of a dataset with 125 participants and more than 450,000 CpG sites from the DNHS study. The proposed method finds three subgroups of subjects and identifies DNAm mediators corresponding to genes such as HSP90AA1 and NFATC1 which have been linked to PTSD symptoms in literature. Our finding could be useful in future finer-grained investigation of PTSD mechanism and in the development of new treatments for PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Xue
- Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
| | - Xiwei Tang
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Grace Kim
- University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Chantel L Martin
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | | | | | | | - Annie Qu
- University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA
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