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
. 2014 Aug 14:5.
doi: 10.3402/ejpt.v5.23797. eCollection 2014.

Biomarkers of PTSD: military applications and considerations

Amy Lehrner  1 , Rachel Yehuda  2
Affiliations

Biomarkers of PTSD: military applications and considerations

Amy Lehrner et al. Eur J Psychotraumatol. .

Abstract

Background: Although there are no established biomarkers for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as yet, biological investigations of PTSD have made progress identifying the pathophysiology of PTSD. Given the biological and clinical complexity of PTSD, it is increasingly unlikely that a single biomarker of disease will be identified. Rather, investigations will more likely identify different biomarkers that indicate the presence of clinically significant PTSD symptoms, associate with risk for PTSD following trauma exposure, and predict or identify recovery. While there has been much interest in PTSD biomarkers, there has been less discussion of their potential clinical applications, and of the social, legal, and ethical implications of such biomarkers.

Objective: This article will discuss possible applications of PTSD biomarkers, including the social, legal, and ethical implications of such biomarkers, with an emphasis on military applications.

Method: Literature on applications of PTSD biomarkers and on potential ethical and legal implications will be reviewed.

Results: Biologically informed research findings hold promise for prevention, assessment, treatment planning, and the development of prophylactic and treatment interventions. As with any biological indicator of disorder, there are potentially positive and negative clinical, social, legal, and ethical consequences of using such biomarkers.

Conclusions: Potential clinical applications of PTSD biomarkers hold promise for clinicians, patients, and employers. The search for biomarkers of PTSD should occur in tandem with an interdisciplinary discussion regarding the potential implications of applying biological findings in clinical and employment settings.

Keywords: Posttraumatic stress disorder; biomarkers; clinical utility; ethics; translation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic representation of potential applications of PTSD biomarkers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.
    1. Aupperle R. L, Allard C. B, Simmons A. N, Flagan T, Thorp S. R, Norman S. B, et al. Neural responses during emotional processing before and after cognitive trauma therapy for battered women. Psychiatry Research. 2013;214(1):48–55. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.05.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baker D. G, Nievergelt C. M, O'Connor D. T. Biomarkers of PTSD: Neuropeptides and immune signaling. Neuropharmacology. 2012;62(2):663–673. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.02.027. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barsaglini A, Sartori G, Benetti S, Pettersson-Yeo W, Mechelli A. The effects of psychotherapy on brain function: A systematic and critical review. Progress in Neurobiology. 2014;114C:1–14. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2013.10.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baum M, Savulescu J. Behavioral biomarkers: What are they good for? In: Singh I, Sinnott-Armstrong W.P, Savulescu J, editors. Bioprediction, biomarkers, and bad behavior: Scientific, legal, and ethical challenges. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2013. pp. 12–41.

LinkOut - more resources