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Neurogenetics

Trauma and stress, from child to adult

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 14, page 77 (2013)Cite this article

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Glucocorticoids are released in response to stress, and activation of the glucocorticoid receptor usually feeds back to reduce glucocorticoid release. FKBP5 forms part of a negative-feedback loop that regulates glucocorticoid receptor activity, so changes in levels of FKBP5 could perturb the stress response system and leave people vulnerable to conditions such as PTSD.

The authors identified a polymorphism in intron 2 of FKBP5. Adults who were homozygous or heterozygous for the A (risk) allele at this polymorphism rather than the G (protective) allele were more likely to suffer from PTSD, but only if they had suffered abuse as children.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Klengel, T. et al. Allele-specific FKBP5 DNA demethylation mediates gene–childhood trauma interactions. Nature Neurosci. 2 Dec 2012 (doi:10.1038/nn.3275)

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  1. Senior Editor, Nature Reviews Neuroscience,

    Rachel Jones

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  1. Rachel Jones
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Jones, R. Trauma and stress, from child to adult. Nat Rev Genet 14, 77 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3406

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