Massive Genetic Study Uncovers 95 Regions of the Genome Linked to PTSD

Results from the most extensive genetic study on PTSD so far may shed light on why the condition affects only certain individuals following traumatic experiences.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) significantly affects an individual’s quality of life through symptoms like intrusive thoughts and mood changes following exposure to trauma. Although approximately 6 percent of trauma-exposed individuals develop PTSD, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of the disorder remain largely unknown to scientists.

Now, a new genetic study of more than 1.2 million people has pinpointed 95 loci, or locations in the genome, that are associated with the risk of developing PTSD, including 80 that had not been previously identified. The study, from the PTSD working group within the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC – PTSD) together with Cohen Veterans Bioscience, is the largest and most diverse of its kind, and also identified 43 genes that appear to have a role in causing PTSD. The work appears in Nature Genetics.