Influence of childhood trauma and brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism on posttraumatic stress symptoms and cortical thickness

Min Jin Jin,Myoung Ho Hyun,Seung-Hwan Lee,Hyeonjin Jeon

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42563-6

Abstract

Interaction between childhood trauma and genetic factors influences the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study examined the interaction effect of childhood trauma and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism on PTSD symptoms and brain cortical thickness. A total of 216 participants (133 healthy volunteers and 83 PTSD patients) were recruited. T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging, BDNF rs6265 genotyping through blood sampling, and clinical assessments including the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and posttraumatic stress disorder Checklist (PCL) were performed. A moderated regression analysis, two-way multivariate analysis of covariance, and correlation analysis were conducted. An interaction between the CTQ and the BDNF polymorphism significantly influenced PTSD symptom severity. In fact, people with rs6265 Val/Val genotype and higher CTQ scores showed higher PCL scores. Additionally, this interaction was significant on both left fusiform and transverse temporal gyri thickness. Furthermore, the thickness of both brain regions was significantly correlated with psychological symptoms including depression, anxiety, rumination, and cognitive emotion regulation methods; yet this was mainly observed in people with the Val/Val genotype. The interaction between childhood trauma and BDNF polymorphism significantly influences both PTSD symptoms and cortical thickness and the Val/Val genotype may increase the risk in Korean population.

Highlights

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a highly debilitating condition with severe symptoms, is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors[1]
There are no studies on discovering the relationship between brain regions, which are affected by the interaction of childhood trauma and rs6265, and other psychological symptoms that are likely to comorbid with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or cognitive styles that could affect the onset of PTSD in Korean participants
The effect of demographic factors such as gender, age, and years of education, and the effect of the experience of traumatic events other than childhood trauma (LEC) were controlled for as covariates to reveal the pure effect of childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and rs6265 on PTSD symptoms

Summary

Introduction

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a highly debilitating condition with severe symptoms, is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors[1]. Several studies suggested that the Met allele may be related to increased PTSD susceptibility[8,10,20,21,22], while the Val/Val genotype may have a protective role towards PTSD development[16]. Up to date, the findings related to the interaction effect of BDNF rs6265 polymorphism and childhood traumatic experiences on brain structure are contradictory. Other studies found the Val/Val genotype to be related to thinner and smaller brain cortical structures; maltreated Val/Val participants showed thinner rostral anterior cingulate cortices than non-maltreated Val/Val participants[37], and Val/Val children with a history of traumatic experiences presented decreased hippocampal volume when compared to the Met allele children[38]. One Korean study reporting the interaction between BDNF and childhood trauma to have an effect on the severity of anxiety symptoms in healthy participants exists[39]. There are no studies on discovering the relationship between brain regions, which are affected by the interaction of childhood trauma and rs6265, and other psychological symptoms that are likely to comorbid with PTSD or cognitive styles that could affect the onset of PTSD in Korean participants

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion