Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Aug;12(4):313-26.
doi: 10.1007/s11920-010-0126-6.

Genetics of post-traumatic stress disorder: review and recommendations for genome-wide association studies

Marilyn C Cornelis  1 , Nicole R Nugent, Ananda B Amstadter, Karestan C Koenen
Affiliations
Review

Genetics of post-traumatic stress disorder: review and recommendations for genome-wide association studies

Marilyn C Cornelis et al. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2010 Aug.

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent, disabling anxiety disorder that constitutes a major health care burden. Despite evidence supporting a genetic predisposition to PTSD, the precise genetic loci remain unclear. Herein we review the current state and limitations of genetic research on PTSD. Although recent years have seen an exponential increase in the number of studies examining the influence of candidate genes on PTSD diagnosis and symptomatology, most studies have been characterized by relatively low rates of PTSD, with apparent inconsistencies in gene associations linked to marked differences in methodology. We further discuss how current advances in the genetics field can be applied to studies of PTSD, emphasizing the need to adapt a genome-wide approach that facilitates discovery rather than hypothesis testing. Genome-wide association studies offer the best opportunity to identify novel "true" risk variants for the disorder that in turn has the potential to inform our understanding of PTSD etiology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of post-traumatic stress disorder candidate gene association studies published by year and neurobiological system. HPA hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.
    1. Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, et al. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:593–602. - PubMed
    1. Kessler RC. Posttraumatic stress disorder: the burden to the individual and to society. J Clin Psychiatry. 2000;61(Suppl 5):4–12. discussion 13–14. - PubMed
    1. Breslau N. Epidemiologic studies of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other psychiatric disorders. Can J Psychiatry. 2002;47:923–929. - PubMed
    1. Kessler RC, Sonnega A, Bromet E, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1995;52:1048–1060. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms