Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic condition characterized by symptoms of physiological and psychosocial burden. While growing research demonstrated signs of inflammation in PTSD, specific biomarkers that may be representative of PTSD such as the detailed neural correlates underlying the inflammatory responses in relation to trauma exposure are seldom discussed. Here, we review recent studies that explored alterations in key inflammatory markers in PTSD, as well as neuroimaging-based studies that further investigated signs of inflammation within the brain in PTSD, as to provide a comprehensive summary of recent literature with a neurological perspective. A search was conducted on studies published from 2009 through 2019 in PubMed and Web of Science. Fifty original articles were selected. Major findings included elevated levels of serum proinflammatory cytokines in individuals with PTSD across various trauma types, as compared with those without PTSD. Furthermore, neuroimaging-based studies demonstrated that altered inflammatory markers are associated with structural and functional alterations in brain regions that are responsible for the regulation of stress and emotion, including the amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex. Future studies that utilize both central and peripheral inflammatory markers are warranted to elucidate the underlying neurological pathway of the pathophysiology of PTSD.
Highlights
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic debilitating condition that results from having been exposed to trauma
For studies investigating inflammation in PTSD according to peripheral inflammatory markers, the current review identified and selected 24 studies that explored serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines including one or more of IL-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IFN-γ as well as C-reactive protein (CRP), and 19 studies that explored serum levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and/or IL-10
The current structured review provides an overview of the recent evidence presented on the influence of oxidative stress and inflammation in PTSD
Summary
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic debilitating condition that results from having been exposed to trauma. In the current medical field, the diagnostic criteria of PTSD are largely dependent on the clinical symptomatology that outlines the disorder, including cognitive, behavioral, and affective domains [1]. The diagnosis for PTSD includes the presence of symptoms of re-experience, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity following the trauma [2]. Clinical symptoms of PTSD have been the sole standard for its diagnosis as acquired through self-report and/or structured clinical interview, and have been demonstrated as reliable predictors of a number of important health outcomes. In addition to the psychobehavioral clinical features, PTSD often involves comorbidities with other health problems such as obesity [7], type 2 diabetes mellitus [8], and cardiovascular complications [9]. Considering that all of the above health concerns involve problems in Antioxidants 2020, 9, 107; doi:10.3390/antiox9020107 www.mdpi.com/journal/antioxidants
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