Post-traumatic stress disorder is often associated with military veterans, but the disorder can develop in anyone who has suffered a daunting experience. And according to researchers from Emory University and the University of Vermont, a certain stress hormone is found to be specifically linked to women with PTSD.
High levels of the stress hormone, known as PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide), were found in women with PTSD, and notably absent in men.
A press release from Emory University explains the hormone's functionality and its importance in treating PTSD:
The hormone is known to act throughout the body and the brain, modulating central nervous system activity, metabolism, blood pressure, pain sensitivity and immune function. The identification of PACAP as an indicator of PTSD may lead to new diagnostic tools and eventually, to new treatments for anxiety disorders.
According to lead author Dr. Kerry Ressler, Few biological markers have been available for PTSD or for psychiatric diseases in general. These results give us a new window into the biology of PTSD.
Dr. Ressler is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory School of Medicine and a researcher at Yerkes National Primate Research Center
"What this says is that men and women who have been traumatized may arrive at PTSD by different biological pathways," Ressler adds in the Emory press release. "In this case, we have a clue how that works, in that the genetic data point to changes in the ability to respond to estrogen." Health News reports on the method and results of the study: For their study, the researchers assessed a group of 64 highly traumatized people who were treated at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, among whom several had developed PTSD. Upon measuring the PACAP blood levels of the participants, the research team discovered that the PACAP levels were higher in those suffering from PTSD, and that elevated levels of the hormone correlated with the severity of symptoms. Essentially, the women with PTSD had higher levels of PACAP, as well as more severe symptoms of the disorder.According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the criteria for PTSD includes exposure to a traumatic event, persistent re-experiencing, persistent avoidance and emotional numbing, increased arousal not present before, duration of symptoms for over a month, and significant impairment of life activity. The study was published in Feb. 24 issue of the journal Nature.
