New Research On PTSD: Genetics, Neural Pathways, And Diagnostic Tools

According to the National Center for PTSD, 6 out of every 100 people in the United States, or 6% of the population, develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in life. The high prevalence of this disorder underscores the importance of ongoing research in this area. New research on PTSD is being conducted on a constant basis, with recent advancements focusing on genetics, neural pathways, and diagnostic tools. To understand why these developments are significant, it may be beneficial to start by defining PTSD. 

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What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

PTSD is classified as a trauma- and stressor-related disorder that may occur after an individual experiences a traumatic event. These events can vary and may include serious injuries, illnesses, war, vehicular accidents, natural disasters, sexual violence, and bullying. During these potentially life-threatening events, a person may experience physical, emotional, or psychological harm. The specific way PTSD manifests may depend on what event a person experiences and how they are harmed. 

The symptoms of PTSD can vary in severity and may be placed into one of four categories: avoidance, intrusion, cognitive or mood alterations, and changes in arousal and reactivity.

• Avoidance: A person with PTSD may avoid people, places, objects, activities, and situations that remind them of their traumatic event. This may involve moving to a new location, opting out of previously enjoyable activities, or declining to speak about their past experiences. 
• Intrusion: Intrusive symptoms may include flashbacks and intrusive thoughts. Flashbacks may cause an individual to feel as though they were reliving their traumatic event. This may involve seeing images, hearing sounds, or experiencing tactile sensations related to that event. 
• Changes in cognition or mood: Those who experience traumatic events may also have alterations in mood or cognition. This can manifest as feelings of guilt or shame, difficulty enjoying previously pleasurable activities, a feeling of detachment from others, and an inability to feel satisfaction. In some cases, individuals may also incorrectly blame themselves for the event or experience other false beliefs that may further cause feelings of negativity or depression. 
• Changes in arousal and reactivity: Reactive and arousal symptoms may lead to increased irritability or more frequent emotional outbursts. Other changes may include reckless or self-destructive behavior, hypervigilance, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances. 

While researchers know a significant amount about PTSD, further research is being conducted on this disorder. Although the focus of this research can vary, one recent study sought to determine whether genetic factors can increase a person’s likelihood of developing PTSD. 

Genetics and PTSD: Can you inherit PTSD? 

In a 2024 genetic study conducted by the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and Cohen Veterans Bioscience, researchers assessed data from more than 1.2 million individuals in order to explore the genomic connections and potential heritability of PTSD. The compiled data revealed that 95 loci (the location of a gene) may be strongly associated with PTSD; of these 95 loci, 80 had not been identified prior to this study. The study revealed that 43 genes may play a role in causing PTSD, with some affecting neurotransmitters, neurons, synapses, ion channels, and the immune and endocrine systems. Researchers also found that the genetic features of PTSD overlapped significantly with the genetic features associated with depression. 

Caroline Nievergelt, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California and co-first author of the study, stated that the study validates the concept of heritability as a central feature of PTSD. Additionally, this study may provide areas for further investigation and lead to new treatments for PTSD.

Neural pathways and PTSD: Research on the nature of fear response mechanisms

Research conducted by University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) looked into how brain biochemistry and neural circuitry influence how we experience fear. This experience, which may be a survival mechanism that helps us to stay alert and avoid potential danger, can be useful in some situations. However, when there is no actual threat, constant feelings of fear may be harmful and lead to the development of conditions such as PTSD. 

Researchers at UC San Diego conducted their study on mice, examining an area of the brainstem known as the dorsal raphe. They found that the introduction of acute stress could cause chemical signals in the brain’s neurons to flip from glutamate to GABA neurotransmitters, which led to a fear response. The researchers then looked at postmortem human brains, specifically of individuals who had experienced PTSD, finding a similar switch from glutamate to GABA. 

Nick Spitzer, a professor at the School of Biological Sciences and a member of UC San Diego’s Department of Neurobiology, stated that the results of their study may provide insights on the mechanisms that make up this generalized fear response. Furthermore, these results may allow for the creation of an intervention that takes this mechanism into account, specifically in regard to related disorders. Returning to their mice experiments, UC San Diego researchers sought to suppress the gene responsible for GABA synthesis by injecting the dorsal raphe of mice with an adeno-associated virus. They found that this prevented generalized fear in the mice. In addition, treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine prevented the transmitter switch and onset of generalized fear in mice. 

Advances in diagnostic testing: How AI may help screen for PTSD

In a study published in Nature, researchers looked to explore how effectively AI-powered large language models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, could screen those who had recently given birth for PTSD. In order to do this, AI models were given 1,295 patient narratives of childbirth for analysis to see whether they could extract novel insights from a text-based data set. 

Researchers found that a model trained on Open AI’s “text-embeddings-ada-002” model was superior in identifying postpartum-related traumatic stress than other large language models. Their study found that this model demonstrated an 85% sensitivity and 75% specificity in the identification of childbirth PTSD (CB-PTSD) cases. Researchers believe that this model may improve CB-PTSD diagnosis and screening if it is implemented in routine care, and it may provide an avenue for the development of a commercial product for mainstream adoption. 

How is PTSD treated? 

While research is constantly being conducted and treatments may change, there are several that may have a proven record of efficacy. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), there are several forms treatment for PTSD, including the medications sertraline, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, and paroxetine, as well as the following forms of talk therapy:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is a form of therapy that often helps individuals identify potentially harmful thought or behavioral patterns and work to change them. For example, if a person incorrectly believes they are at fault for what happened during their traumatic event, therapy may offer a place to discuss and challenge these notions. 
• Cognitive processing therapy (CPT): Often consisting of 12 sessions, CPT also tends to help individuals identify and modify unhelpful beliefs associated with a traumatic event. 
• Prolonged exposure: Prolonged exposure therapy allows a person to gradually confront traumatic memories in a safe environment. This process may help individuals to learn that traumatic memories are not dangerous, which may lead to less avoidance of such memories.
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR may help to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD, while also teaching individuals coping skills that may make their experience with the disorder easier. This treatment works by allowing an individual to recall the details of a traumatic incident while moving their eyes in a specific pattern (often in what is described as a back-and-forth movement.) This may involve choosing a specific memory to focus on and concentrating on it while a provider moves their finger or a light in front of the person’s eyes. 

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While therapy may be effective for individuals with PTSD or other mental health disorders, certain forms of therapy may not be available or convenient for everyone. For example, attending traditional in-office therapy may be challenging for those who are not comfortable discussing mental health topics in person. Others may lack reliable transportation or live in a region that does not have a sufficient number of mental health providers. In these cases, it may be beneficial to try alternatives, such as online therapy. 

Research suggests that therapy delivered online has similar levels of effectiveness to in-person therapy. A 2022 study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research analyzed 12 controlled trials to determine the differences between how these forms of therapy treated specific mental health disorders. Researchers found that there were no significant differences between online and in-person therapy concerning a number of outcomes after treatment, including symptom severity, working alliance, client improvement, and client satisfaction. 

Takeaway

New research on PTSD has revealed a variety of discoveries relating to potential genetic causes for the disorder, neural pathways that may dictate the fear response, and how PTSD is diagnosed after childbirth. These and other findings may help individuals with PTSD in a variety of ways, including through new targeted treatments. Currently, the treatments for PTSD include several forms of medication and talk therapies, such as CBT and EMDR.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of PTSD, you may benefit from speaking with a therapist, whether in person or online. With BetterHelp, you can be matched with a licensed therapist who has experience treating people living with PTSD. Take the first step toward healing from trauma and reach out to BetterHelp today.