A new study has allowed scientists to investigate potential underlying causes of the dangerous disorder, making it possible to develop new approaches to its treatment.
A recent study conducted at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne has provided new insight into why some people are more prone to developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after traumatic events. The study underscores the important role the body’s hormonal response to stress plays in determining vulnerability to PTSD, New Atlas reports.
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The study, led by Carmen Sandi, focuses on differences in levels of glucocorticoids, steroid hormones secreted during stress. People with PTSD often experience decreased levels of glucocorticoids such as cortisol, an important hormone involved in the stress response. These low levels were initially thought to be a result of trauma, but it is now believed that they may precede or even contribute to the development of PTSD.
Using genetically modified mice with a delayed response to cortisol, the researchers examined how this hormonal change might be linked to PTSD. They found that reduced response to glucocorticoids was associated with a number of key features of PTSD, such as worse fear extinction in men and reduced volume of the hippocampus (an area of the brain that plays an important role in memory development). Disorders in REM sleep, which is important for memory consolidation.
Interestingly, when rats were subjected to treatments similar to cognitive behavioral therapy and given corticosterone (the rat analogue of cortisol), researchers noticed a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms, including fear responses and sleep disturbances.
This study provides important causal evidence linking low glucocorticoid reactivity to the development of PTSD symptoms and suggests that this may influence other risk factors associated with the disease. The findings pave the way to explore glucocorticoid therapy as a potential therapeutic approach for PTSD, especially in patients with decreased glucocorticoid sensitivity, the authors said.
Previously Focus wrote about the difference between depression in men and women. New DNA research reveals clear distinctions between male and female depression and points to the need for different diagnostic and treatment methods.
Moreover Focus He wrote that depression may result from a faulty immune system. A new study suggests that depression may be caused not by inflammation but by a weakened immune response in the brain.
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Source: Focus
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