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Childhood trauma associated with short leukocyte telomere length in posttraumatic stress disorder.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased risk for age-related diseases and early mortality. An accelerated rate of biological aging could contribute to this increased risk. To investigate, we assessed leukocyte telomere length (LTL), an emerging marker of biological age, in men and women with and without PTSD. We also examined childhood trauma, a risk factor for both PTSD and short LTL, as a potential contributor to short LTL in PTSD. METHODS:Participants included 43 adults with chronic PTSD (n = 18 with multiple categories of childhood trauma) and 47 control subjects (none with multiple categories of childhood trauma) (mean age = 30.55, SD = 7.44). Exclusion criteria included physical illness, medication use, obesity, alcohol or substance abuse, and pregnancy. Structured clinical interviews were conducted to assess PTSD and other psychiatric disorders and childhood trauma exposure. LTL was measured with a quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS:As predicted, participants with PTSD had shorter age-adjusted LTL than control subjects. Exposure to childhood trauma was also associated with short LTL. In fact, childhood trauma seemed to account for the PTSD group difference in LTL; only participants with PTSD and exposure to multiple categories of childhood trauma had significantly shorter LTL than control subjects. CONCLUSIONS:Childhood trauma is associated with short LTL in individuals with PTSD. Chronic exposure to the psychobiological sequelae of childhood trauma could increase risk for PTSD and short LTL. Thus, the lasting psychological impact of exposure to trauma in childhood might be accompanied by equally enduring changes at the molecular level.

SUBMITTER: O'Donovan A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3152637 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Childhood trauma associated with short leukocyte telomere length in posttraumatic stress disorder.

O'Donovan Aoife A Epel Elissa E Lin Jue J Wolkowitz Owen O Cohen Beth B Maguen Shira S Metzler Thomas T Lenoci Maryann M Blackburn Elizabeth E Neylan Thomas C TC

Biological psychiatry 20110413 5

<h4>Background</h4>Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased risk for age-related diseases and early mortality. An accelerated rate of biological aging could contribute to this increased risk. To investigate, we assessed leukocyte telomere length (LTL), an emerging marker of biological age, in men and women with and without PTSD. We also examined childhood trauma, a risk factor for both PTSD and short LTL, as a potential contributor to short LTL in PTSD.<h4>Methods</h4>Pa ...[more]

PMID: 21489410

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Project description:ImportancePosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while highly prevalent (7.6% over a lifetime), develops only in a subset of trauma-exposed individuals. Genetic risk factors in interaction with trauma exposure have been implicated in PTSD vulnerability.ObjectiveTo examine the association of 3755 candidate gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms with PTSD development in interaction with a history of childhood trauma.Design, setting, and participantsGenetic association study in an Ohio National Guard longitudinal cohort (n = 810) of predominantly male soldiers of European ancestry, with replication in an independent Grady Trauma Project (Atlanta, Georgia) cohort (n = 2083) of predominantly female African American civilians.Main outcomes and measuresContinuous measures of PTSD severity, with a modified (interview) PTSD checklist in the discovery cohort and the PTSD Symptom Scale in the replication cohort.ResultsControlling for the level of lifetime adult trauma exposure, we identified the novel association of a single-nucleotide polymorphism within the promoter region of the ADRB2 (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man 109690) gene with PTSD symptoms in interaction with childhood trauma (rs2400707, P = 1.02 × 10-5, significant after correction for multiple comparisons). The rs2400707 A allele was associated with relative resilience to childhood adversity. An rs2400707 × childhood trauma interaction predicting adult PTSD symptoms was replicated in the independent predominantly female African American cohort.Conclusions and relevanceAltered adrenergic and noradrenergic function has been long believed to have a key etiologic role in PTSD development; however, direct evidence of this link has been missing. The rs2400707 polymorphism has been linked to function of the adrenergic system, but, to our knowledge, this is the first study to date linking the ADRB2 gene to PTSD or any psychiatric disorders. These findings have important implications for PTSD etiology, chronic pain, and stress-related comorbidity, as well as for both primary prevention and treatment strategies.

Dataset Information

Childhood trauma associated with short leukocyte telomere length in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Publications

Childhood trauma associated with short leukocyte telomere length in posttraumatic stress disorder.

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