Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31931860›Full record

SynthesisClinical epigenetics2020

Longitudinal epigenome-wide association studies of three male military cohorts reveal multiple CpG sites associated with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Clara Snijders, Adam X Maihofer, Andrew Ratanatharathorn, Dewleen G Baker, Marco P Boks, Elbert Geuze, Sonia Jain, Ronald C Kessler, Ehsan Pishva, Victoria B Risbrough and 9 more

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Clinical epigenetics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
52citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
3.7field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

52 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 87 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. DNA methylation GrimAge acceleration in US military veterans with PTSD.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023
    Trial
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  16. Post-traumatic stress disorder: evolving conceptualization and evidence, and future research directions.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2025
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
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  20. Microglia-mediated neuroimmune suppression in PTSD is associated with anhedonia.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors at 10 institutions in 4 countries.

Clara SnijdersDepartment of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands.
Adam X MaihoferDepartment of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Andrew RatanatharathornDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Dewleen G BakerDepartment of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Marco P BoksDepartment of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Elbert GeuzeDepartment of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Sonia JainDepartment of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Ronald C KesslerDepartment of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Ehsan PishvaDepartment of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands.
Victoria B RisbroughDepartment of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Murray B SteinDepartment of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Robert J UrsanoDepartment of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Eric VermettenArq, Psychotrauma Research Expert Group, Diemen, North Holland, Netherlands.
Christiaan H VinkersDepartment of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC (location VUmc), Amsterdam, Holland, Netherlands.
PGC PTSD EWAS Consortium
Alicia K SmithDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Monica UddinGenomics Program, University of South Florida College of Public Health, Tampa, FL, USA.
Bart P F RuttenDepartment of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands.
Caroline M NievergeltDepartment of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands. cnievergelt@ucsd.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-5766-8923
University of California San Diego · USMaastricht University · NLHarvard University · USMinistry of Defence · GBAmsterdam Neuroscience · NLEmory University · USUniformed Services University of the Health Sciences · USUniversity Medical Center Utrecht · NLUniversity of Exeter · GBUniversity of South Florida · US

Funding

Modifiable Risk and Protective Factors for Suicidal Behaviors in the US ArmyU01MH087981 · NIMH · HENRY M. JACKSON FDN FOR THE ADV MIL/MED · PI STEIN, MURRAY B., URSANO, ROBERT J. · 2009 to 2013
$65.0M
Psychiatric Genomics Consortium for PTSDR01MH106595 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI KARESTAN C KOENEN, Caroline M Nievergelt · 2016 to 2026
$8.4M
The Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Methylome: implications for PTSDR01MH108826 · NIMH · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI LOGUE, MARK W, NIEVERGELT, CAROLINE M · 2016 to 2024
$5.8M
Genomic Predictors of Combat Stress Vulnerability and ResilienceR01MH093500 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI NIEVERGELT, CAROLINE M · 2011 to 2013
$2.7M
4/7 Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: Advancing Discovery and ImpactR01MH124847 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI NIEVERGELT, CAROLINE M, SEBAT, JONATHAN · 2021 to 2025
$2.1M
NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH093500NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH106595NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH108826NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH124847NIMH NIH HHS U01 MH087981
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEpigenetic mechanisms have been suggested to play a role in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here, blood-derived DNA methylation data (HumanMethylation450 BeadChip) collected prior to and following combat exposure in three cohorts of male military members were analyzed to assess whether DNA methylation profiles are associated with the development of PTSD. A total of 123 PTSD cases and 143 trauma-exposed controls were included in the analyses. The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) PTSD EWAS QC pipeline was used on all cohorts, and results were combined using a sample size weighted meta-analysis in a two-stage design. In stage one, we jointly analyzed data of two new cohorts (N = 126 and 78) for gene discovery, and sought to replicate significant findings in a third, previously published cohort (N = 62) to assess the robustness of our results. In stage 2, we aimed at maximizing power for gene discovery by combining all three cohorts in a meta-analysis.

resultsStage 1 analyses identified four CpG sites in which, conditional on pre-deployment DNA methylation, post-deployment DNA methylation was significantly associated with PTSD status after epigenome-wide adjustment for multiple comparisons. The most significant (intergenic) CpG cg05656210 (p = 1.0 × 10

conclusionsThis study suggests that the development of combat-related PTSD is associated with distinct methylation patterns in several genomic positions and regions. Our most prominent findings suggest the involvement of the immune system through the HLA region and HEXDC, and MAD1L1 which was previously associated with PTSD.

Indexed as

AdultCase-Control StudiesCell Cycle ProteinsCohort StudiesCpG IslandsDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticEpigenomeGenomicsHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMilitary PersonnelPolymorphism, Single NucleotideStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticCell Cycle ProteinsMAD1L1 protein, humanDNA methylationEpigeneticsEWASLongitudinalMeta-analysisPTSDTrauma

Identifiers

PMID31931860
PMCPMC6958602
OpenAlexW2999842127

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.