In other words, people who, due to their genotype, were more likely to inactivate the stress neurotransmitters were somewhat protected from developing stress-related problems relative to people who were less able to metabolize the transmitters.

Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry commented: "We hope that molecular genetics will help us to identify those who are most resilient so that we can learn about ways that people cope with stress at a psychological, behavioral, and biological level. We also would like a biological test to help us to identify people who are most vulnerable to the negative effects of stress so that we could target supportive services to these people." This study is another step in that direction.

Dr. Iris-Tatjana Kolassa cautions that many technical and clinical questions remain open in attempting to develop molecular genetic tests that predict patterns of stress response. But she acknowledged that human genetics could someday play a role in the prevention and treatment of PTSD.

Source: Elsevier