Longitudinal genome-wide methylation study of PTSD treatment using prolonged exposure and hydrocortisone.

ABSTRACT: Epigenetic changes are currently invoked as explanations for both the chronicity and tenacity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a heterogeneous condition showing varying, sometimes idiosyncratic responses to treatment. This study evaluated epigenetic markers in the context of a randomized clinical trial of PTSD patients undergoing prolonged-exposure psychotherapy with and without a hydrocortisone augmentation prior to each session. The purpose of the longitudinal epigenome-wide analyses was to identify predictors of recovery (from pretreatment data) or markers associated with symptom change (based on differences between pre- and post-therapy epigenetic changes). The results of these analyses identified the CREB-BDNF signaling pathway, previously linked to startle reaction and fear

SUBMITTER: Yang R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8289875 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature