A groundbreaking genetic study involving over 1.2 million people has discovered 95 genetic locations linked to PTSD, revealing both previously known and 80 new loci, alongside 43 genes that play roles in the disorder. This study, the largest of its kind, underscores the genetic basis of PTSD and provides new avenues for prevention and treatment strategies, signaling a significant advance in understanding the neurobiology of trauma-related disorders. Results from the most extensive genetic study on PTSD so far may shed light on why the condition affects only certain individuals following traumatic experiences.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) significantly affects an individual’s quality of life through symptoms like intrusive thoughts and mood changes following exposure to trauma. Although approximately 6 percent of trauma-exposed individuals develop PTSD, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of the disorder remain largely unknown to scientists.
Now, a new genetic study of more than 1.2 million people has pinpointed 95 loci, or locations in the genome, that are associated with the risk of developing PTSD, including 80 that had not been previously identified. The study, from the PTSD working group within the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC – PTSD) together with Cohen Veterans Bioscience, is the largest and most diverse of its kind, and also identified 43 genes that appear to have a role in causing PTSD. The work appears in Nature Genetics .
“This discovery firmly validates that heritability is a central feature of PTSD based on the largest PTSD genetics study conducted to date and reinforces there is a genetic […]
Massive Genetic Study Uncovers 95 Regions of the Genome Linked to PTSD
