Dataset Information

EFFECT OF THE APOE ?4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS.

ABSTRACT: The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ?4 allele has been implicated in a range of neuropsychiatric conditions. The present research examined if the ?4 allele of the APOE gene moderated the effect of combat exposure on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans.Participants included 765 non-Hispanic White (NHW) and 859 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans. A structured interview established psychiatric diagnoses. Combat exposure and PTSD symptom severity were assessed via self-report.The most common lifetime diagnoses were depression (39.2%), PTSD (38.4%), and alcohol dependence (24.38%). After correcting for multiple comparisons, no significant effects were observed on any of the outcomes among the NHW sample; however, within the NHB sample, significant gene × environment (G × E) interactions were observed for lifetime PTSD (P = .0029) and PTSD symptom severity (P = .0009). In each case, the APOE ?4 allele had no effect on the outcomes when combat exposure was low; however, when combat exposure was high, an additive effect was observed such that ?4 homozygotes exposed to high levels of combat reported the highest rates of PTSD (92%) and the worst symptom severity scores on the Davidson Trauma Scale (M = 79.5).Although preliminary, these findings suggest that the APOE ?4 allele, in conjunction with exposure to high levels of combat exposure, may increase veterans' risk for developing PTSD.

SUBMITTER: Kimbrel NA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4697754 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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EFFECT OF THE APOE ε4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS.

Kimbrel Nathan A NA Hauser Michael A MA Garrett Melanie M Ashley-Koch Allison A Liu Yutao Y Dennis Michelle F MF Klein Rebecca C RC Beckham Jean C JC

Depression and anxiety 20150224 5

<h4>Background</h4>The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele has been implicated in a range of neuropsychiatric conditions. The present research examined if the ε4 allele of the APOE gene moderated the effect of combat exposure on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans.<h4>Method</h4>Participants included 765 non-Hispanic White (NHW) and 859 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans. A structured interview established psychiatric diagnoses. Combat expos ...[more]

PMID: 25709077

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Project description:Military personnel are often exposed to multiple instances of various types of head trauma. As a result, there has been increasing concern recently over identifying when head trauma has resulted in a brain injury and what, if any, long-term consequences those brain injuries may have. Efforts to develop equipment to protect soldiers from these long-term consequences will first require understanding the types of head trauma that are likely responsible. In this study, we sought to identify the types of head trauma most likely to lead to the deposition of tau, a protein identified as a likely indicator of long-term negative consequences of brain injury. To define the types of head trauma in a military population, we applied a factor analysis to interviews from a larger cohort of 428 Veterans enrolled in the Translational Research Center for Traumatic Brain Injury and Stress Disorders. Three factors were identified: Blast Exposure, Symptom Duration, and Blunt Concussion. Sixteen male Veterans from this study and one additional male civilian (aged 25-69, mean 35.2?years) underwent simultaneous positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging using a tracer that binds to tau protein, the ligand T807/AV-1451 (Flortaucipir). Standard uptake value ratios to the isthmus of the cingulate were calculated from a 20-minute time frame 70?min post-injection. We found that tracer uptake throughout the brain was associated with Blast Exposure factor beta weights, but not with either Symptom Duration or Blunt Concussion. Associations with uptake were located primarily in the cerebellar, occipital, inferior temporal and frontal regions. The data suggest that in this small, relatively young cohort of Veterans, elevated T807/AV-1451 uptake is associated with exposure to blast neurotrauma. These findings are unanticipated, as they do not match histopathological descriptions of tau pathology associated with head trauma. Continued work will be necessary to understand the nature of the regional T807/AV-1451 uptake and any associations with clinical symptoms.

Dataset Information

EFFECT OF THE APOE ?4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS.

Publications

EFFECT OF THE APOE ε4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS.

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