of any of the genes in the genome. “One of the prominent theories of PTSD is that there is an increase in CRHR1 in the brain of individuals with the disorder,” Dr. Stein said. “More than by chance, it looks like the genes that are popping up in PTSD seem to be expressed in the frontal cortex, the anterior cingulate, the cortex, the hypothalamus, the amygdala, the hippocampus, the basal ganglia, and the substantia nigra. So all of a sudden, we go from having a list of genes to knowing there’s something going on in the brain of people with PTSD that involves expression in these particular regions that we might be able to target.”
In related work using the same genetic information, Dr. Stein and his colleagues have demonstrated an association between PTSD and medium spiny neurons, which are located in the basal ganglia and make up 95% of neurons in the striatum. “They also have GABAergic projection to other parts of the brain and play a key role in motivation, reward, enforcement, and aversion,” Dr. Stein said.
Dr. Stein disclosed that he has received research support from the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He also has received consulting fees from Aptinyx, Bionomics, Janssen, Neurocrine, Oxeia Biopharmaceuticals, and Resilience Therapeutics.