Glucocorticoid Gene Variant Blunts the Effects of Child Abuse on PTSD

In an adult exposed to trauma, the risk for post-traumatic stress disorder increases if the person had been abused as a child. Both child abuse and PTSD have been associated with dysregulation of cortisol and of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FKBP5 gene (which modulates binding of glucocorticoid to its receptor) have been associated with peritraumatic dissociation in children with medical trauma. In this cross-sectional study, researchers examined whether eight FKBP5 SNPs predict adult PTSD symptoms in 900 inner-city adults (95% black) with high rates of child abuse (30%) and other trauma types (85%).

Child abuse and other trauma exposure independently predicted PTSD symptoms; the…