Abstract
The aftermath of traumatization lives on in the neural and epigenetic traces creating a momentum of affliction in the psychological and social realm. Can psychotherapy reorganise these memories through changes in DNA methylation signatures? Using a randomised controlled parallel group design, we examined methylome-wide changes in saliva samples of 84 female former child soldiers from Eastern DR Congo before and six months after Narrative Exposure Therapy. Treatment predicted differentially methylated positions (DMPs) related to ALCAM, RIPOR2, AFAP1 and MOCOS. In addition, treatment associations overlapped at gene level with baseline clinical and social outcomes. Treatment related DMPs are involved in memory formation—the key agent in trauma focused treatments—and enriched for molecular pathways commonly affected by trauma related disorders. Results were partially replicated in an independent sample of 53 female former child soldiers from Northern Uganda. Our results suggest a molecular impact of psychological treatment in women with war-related childhood trauma.Trial registration: Addressing Heightened Levels of Aggression in Traumatized Offenders With Psychotherapeutic Means (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02992561, 14/12/2016).
Highlights
The aftermath of traumatization lives on in the neural and epigenetic traces creating a momentum of affliction in the psychological and social realm
In TAU, epigenetic age was larger than reported age at baseline (t = 3.29, df = 41, p = 0.002) and follow-up (t = 3.83, df = 41, p < 0.001), whereas no statistical differences were found in Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) (Fig. 1B)
For treatment-related CpGs (PPI enrichment < 0.001), we found a gene-ontology enrichment linked to cortisol and aldosterone synthesis and secretion, extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor interaction, bile secretion, glutamatergic synapse, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) signalling pathway
Summary
The aftermath of traumatization lives on in the neural and epigenetic traces creating a momentum of affliction in the psychological and social realm. Can psychotherapy reorganise these memories through changes in DNA methylation signatures? Using a randomised controlled parallel group design, we examined methylome-wide changes in saliva samples of 84 female former child soldiers from Eastern DR Congo before and six months after Narrative Exposure Therapy. Treatment predicted differentially methylated positions (DMPs) related to ALCAM, RIPOR2, AFAP1 and MOCOS. Results were partially replicated in an independent sample of 53 female former child soldiers from Northern Uganda. Our results suggest a molecular impact of psychological treatment in women with war-related childhood trauma
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