Gene Therapies May Provide New Dimension in Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by Karishma Abhishek on January 31, 2021 at 9:43 AM
Eighteen specific, fixed positions on chromosomes (known as loci) associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are identified by researchers at the University of California San Diego, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), Yale University, and West Haven VA, published in the journal Nature Genetics. PTSD, long been known to be heritable, is a serious mental disorder that can occur after exposure to extreme, life-threatening stress, with a lifetime prevalence of approximately 7 per cent (but much higher among veterans). Traumatic events affect more than half to three-quarters of Americans over their lifetime, but most do not develop PTSD.