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Four Blood Biomarkers Associated With PTSD in Military Personnel
A study involving more than 1000 active-duty US service members found patterns in 4 biomarkers that appear to be associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Seattle in March.
“Better methods of predicting or screening for PTSD could help to overcome the disorder by identifying individuals at high risk of developing PTSD and providing them with early intervention or prevention strategies,” said study presenter Stacy-Ann Miller, a researcher at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. “This could potentially reduce the severity of symptoms or prevent the disorder from developing altogether.”
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The study examined the effect of PTSD on blood metabolomics of 1324 military members. Researchers measured 4 biomarkers, previously linked with stress and mental health issues, taken before a 10-month deployment, 3 days after returning from deployment, and 3 to 6 months post-deployment.
Participants were divided into 4 groups based on measures of PTSD and mental resilience. Among participants, 146 were included in the PTSD group, 171 in the subthreshold PTSD group, 505 in the low resilience group, and 502 in the high resilience group.
Compared with service members in the high resilience group, those in the PTSD and subthreshold PTSD groups had significantly higher glycolytic ratios and lower arginine, according to the study. Glycolytic ratio is a measure of how the body breaks down sugar to produce energy, and arginine is an amino acid involved in the immune and cardiovascular systems.
Additionally, the PTSD group had lower serotonin and higher glutamate than the high resilience group. Serotonin is a chemical messenger that, among other functions, helps regulate mood and sleep. Glutamate is a chemical messenger involved in learning and memory.
Metabolic differences identified in the study occurred independently of gender, age, body mass index, smoking, and caffeine consumption. Researchers advised the need for more research and validation to confirm the utility of the biomarkers in real-world settings.
“Improved methods of screening and predicting PTSD could inform better treatment approaches by providing a deeper understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of the disorder,” said Miller. “This could lead to the development of more targeted and effective treatments for PTSD or to identify specific subtypes of PTSD, which may respond differently to different treatments.”
References
Researchers identify markers of PTSD in the blood. News release. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; March 20, 2023. Accessed April 21, 2023.
