Adult offspring of parents with PTSD have lower cortisol levelsSeptember 04, 2007A small study suggests that adults whose parents are Holocaust survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear to have lower average levels of the stress hormone cortisol than the adult offspring of parents without PTSD, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Biological differences seen in individuals with PTSD, including low cortisol levels, could either result from exposure to a traumatic event or could be present before such an event and predispose patients to the condition, according to background information in the article. "Once identified, such risk factors may prove to be useful as predictors of who will develop PTSD after exposure to trauma, or they may even identify potential new targets for prophylaxis [preventive therapy] and treatment," the authors write. Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, and colleagues studied 33 individuals whose parents had survived the Holocaust. These study participants were further divided into groups based on whether at least one parent met criteria for PTSD according to a questionnaire completed by the offspring. Twenty-three of the offspring had parents with PTSD, and 10 had parents without PTSD. The researchers measured the participants' blood cortisol levels every 30 minutes for a 24-hour period, then compared them with the levels of 16 individuals whose parents were not Holocaust survivors. None of the participants had PTSD at the time of the study.
Individuals whose parents had PTSD displayed lower average cortisol levels over the 24-hour period than did those whose parents did not have PTSD or were not exposed to traumatic events. This decrease seemed specifically related to having a mother with PTSD. "Offspring with parental PTSD also demonstrated changes in some chronobiological parameters previously identified as altered in trauma survivors with PTSD despite that no subject had PTSD at assessment," the authors write. "However, the overall pattern of alterations observed in the offspring with parental PTSD did not follow that reported for PTSD, allowing differentiation between parameters associated with risk vs. those associated with PTSD pathogenesis [development]." "Although the implications for PTSD prophylaxis cannot be specified from these results, they have clear clinical applications, including assessment of parental PTSD in patients with PTSD and evaluation of stressful events during pregnancy and early childhood," the authors conclude. "Indeed, the data suggest that examination of epigenetic [environmental or other effect that does not change DNA] or in utero phenomena should be added to the search for genetic polymorphisms that may underlie individual differences that increase vulnerability to this disorder." JAMA and Archives Journals | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related PTSD Current Events and PTSD News Articles Vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder runs in families, study shows Earthquakes have aftershocks - not just the geological kind but the mental kind as well. Just like veterans of war, earthquake survivors can experience post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. Large hormone dose may reduce risk of post-traumatic stress disorder A new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers found that a high dose of cortisone could help reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). New study suggests that high-dose hormone treatment might reduce risk for PTSD Cortisol helps our bodies cope with stress, but what about its effects on the brain? A new study by Cohen and colleagues, appearing in the October 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, suggests that the answer to this question is complex. Whether combat or peacekeeping, PTSD impacts veterans' well-being Deployed peacekeeping veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have significant impairments in health-related quality of life according to research by Dr. J. Donald Richardson of The University of Western Ontario and his co-investigators. Researchers Investigate Impact of Stress on Police Officers' Physical and Mental Health Policing is dangerous work, and the danger lurks not on the streets alone. National study finds post-traumatic stress disorder common among injured patients Suffering a traumatic injury can have serious and long-lasting implications for a patient's mental health, according to the largest-ever U.S. study evaluating the impact of traumatic injury. National study finds post-traumatic stress disorder common among injured patients Suffering a traumatic injury can have serious and long-lasting implications for a patient's mental health, according to the largest-ever U.S. study evaluating the impact of traumatic injury. Emory study of former child soldiers yields new data to guide mental health interventions Former child soldiers in Nepal are more than twice as likely to suffer from symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as Nepali children who experienced war trauma as civilians, according to a study led by Brandon Kohrt, an Emory University graduate student. Mental health intervention at school reduces PTSD among indonesian children affected by violence A school-based intervention for children in communities affected by political violence in Indonesia reduced post-traumatic stress symptoms and helped maintain hope, but did not reduce traumatic stress-related symptoms, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms or functional impairment, according to a study in the August 13 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights. Reserve, National Guard at higher risk of alcohol-related problems after returning from combat Younger service members and Reserve and National Guard combat personnel returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk of new-onset heavy drinking, binge drinking and other alcohol-related problems. More PTSD Current Events and PTSD News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||