SynthesisPsychoneuroendocrinology2018
Traumatic stress and accelerated DNA methylation age: A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 144 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
144 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 245 citations in OpenAlex.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder moderates the association between BrainAge acceleration and GrimAge acceleration.Neurobiology of aging · 2026Pooled it
- Comparing the molecular correlates of PTSD in first responders and the broader molecular PTSD literature: a hybrid review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- PTSD and epigenetic aging: a longitudinal meta-analysis.Psychological medicine · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of childhood maltreatment and DNA methylation: candidate gene and epigenome-wide approaches.Translational psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Biological aging in childhood and adolescence following experiences of threat and deprivation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychological bulletin · 2020Pooled it
- A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Environmental, Lifestyle, and Health Factors Associated With DNA Methylation Age.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2020Pooled it
- Work-Related Stress, Physio-Pathological Mechanisms, and the Influence of Environmental Genetic Factors.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- An epigenome-wide study of a needs-based family intervention for offspring of trauma-exposed mothers in Kosovo.Brain and behavior · 2024Trial
- Parenting Practices May Buffer the Impact of Adversity on Epigenetic Age Acceleration Among Young Children With Developmental Delays.Psychological science · 2023Trial
- DNA methylation GrimAge acceleration in US military veterans with PTSD.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023Trial
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Epigenome-Wide Association Studies in the Million Veteran Program.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity-related Accelerated Aging, Hippocampal Volume, and CLDN5 DNA Methylation.Biopsychosocial science and medicine · 2026Article
- Neighborhood disadvantage and accelerated epigenetic aging in the early aftermath of trauma: The moderating role of individual psychological resources.Journal of psychiatric research · 2026Article
- State of the Science: The epidemiology of posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of traumatic stress · 2026Review
- Cardiomyocyte-Specific Plakophilin-2 Loss Is Sufficient to Induce Aging and Senescence of Nonmyocytes: Relevance to Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2026Article
- Mental health across the lifecourse as predictors of epigenetic aging from a longitudinal birth cohort in the United States.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Article
- Review
- Genetic and epigenetic analysis of plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels in PTSD.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Impact of psychosocial stress in early life on pace of aging in young adulthood.Clinical epigenetics · 2025Article
- Lifetime trauma exposure and accelerated epigenetic aging among midlife women.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2025Article
84 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
32 authors at 19 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundRecent studies examining the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and accelerated aging, as defined by DNA methylation-based estimates of cellular age that exceed chronological age, have yielded mixed results.
methodsWe conducted a meta-analysis of trauma exposure and PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity in association with accelerated DNA methylation age using data from 9 cohorts contributing to the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium PTSD Epigenetics Workgroup (combined N = 2186). Associations between demographic and cellular variables and accelerated DNA methylation age were also examined, as was the moderating influence of demographic variables.
resultsMeta-analysis of regression coefficients from contributing cohorts revealed that childhood trauma exposure (when measured with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and lifetime PTSD severity evidenced significant, albeit small, meta-analytic associations with accelerated DNA methylation age (ps = 0.028 and 0.016, respectively). Sex, CD4T cell proportions, and natural killer cell proportions were also significantly associated with accelerated DNA methylation age (all ps < 0.02). PTSD diagnosis and lifetime trauma exposure were not associated with advanced DNA methylation age. There was no evidence of moderation of the trauma or PTSD variables by demographic factors.
conclusionsResults suggest that traumatic stress is associated with advanced epigenetic age and raise the possibility that cells integral to immune system maintenance and responsivity play a role in this. This study highlights the need for additional research into the biological mechanisms linking traumatic stress to accelerated DNA methylation age and the importance of furthering our understanding of the neurobiological and health consequences of PTSD.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.