Posttraumatic psychopathology and the pace of the epigenetic clock: a longitudinal investigation.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and stress/trauma exposure are cross-sectionally associated with advanced DNA methylation age relative to chronological age. However, longitudinal inquiry and examination of associations between advanced DNA methylation age and a broader range of psychiatric disorders is lacking. The aim of this study was to examine if PTSD, depression, generalized anxiety, and alcohol-use disorders predicted acceleration of DNA methylation age over time (i.e. an increasing pace, or rate of advancement, of the epigenetic clock). METHODS:Genome-wide DNA methylation and a comprehensive set of psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses were assessed in 179 Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans who completed two assessments over the course of approximately 2 years. Two DNA methy

SUBMITTER: Wolf EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6292741 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature