SynthesisNature communications2020
Epigenome-wide meta-analysis of PTSD across 10 military and civilian cohorts identifies methylation changes in AHRR.
Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph
Synthesis in Nature communications, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 87 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
87citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
7.0field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
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.
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Who cites it
87 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 132 citations in OpenAlex.
- Epigenome-wide association studies identify novel DNA methylation sites associated with PTSD: a meta-analysis of 23 military and civilian cohorts.Genome medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Disease classification for whole-blood DNA methylation: Meta-analysis, missing values imputation, and XAI.GigaScience · 2022Pooled it
- Epigenome-wide meta-analysis of PTSD symptom severity in three military cohorts implicates DNA methylation changes in genes involved in immune system and oxidative stress.Molecular psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Longitudinal epigenome-wide association studies of three male military cohorts reveal multiple CpG sites associated with post-traumatic stress disorder.Clinical epigenetics · 2020Pooled it
- 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
- Functional Genomics Studies of Psychiatric Disorders in Individuals of Latin American Populations: A Scoping Review.American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics · 2026Article
- Causal evidence linking injury-associated DNA methylation to the risk of developing depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.Medicine · 2026Article
- Epigenome-wide association study of blood proteome in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.HGG advances · 2026Article
- Long-term impact of stressful life events on breast cancer risk: A 36-year genetically informed prospective study in the Finnish Twin Cohort.International journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Acute stress induces changes in epigenome-wide DNA methylation.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Genetic and epigenetic analysis of plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels in PTSD.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Interactive effects of genotype with prenatal stress on DNA methylation at birth.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Article
- DNA methylation as a new frontier in treating fear-related disorders: A need for careful evaluation.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Comprehensive Explorations and Preliminary Experimental Verification of RNA Modification-Related Diagnostic Markers in the Subtype Classification of Peripheral Blood-Derived Mononuclear Cells Derived from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Patients.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Examining the timing of trauma, PTSD onset, and DNA methylation: A multicohort investigation of candidate CpG sites.Journal of psychiatric research · 2025Article
- Integrated chemical exposome-metabolome profiling of follicular fluid and associations with fertility outcomes during assisted reproduction.Environment international · 2025Article
- Multilayered Epigenetic Analysis Identifies a Molecular Portrait for Psychological Resilience in Patients With Breast Cancer.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2025Article
- Cell-type-specific and inflammatory DNA methylation patterns associated with PTSD.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2025Article
- Methylomic signature of current cannabis use in two first-episode psychosis cohorts.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Article
27 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
45 authors at 20 institutions in 4 countries.
Alicia K SmithEmory University, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Atlanta, GA, USA. alicia.smith@emory.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-8537-5156
Andrew RatanatharathornColumbia University, Department of Epidemiology, New York, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9855-0438
Adam X MaihoferUniversity of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4517-1623
Robert K NaviauxUniversity of California, The Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center, Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Pathology, San Diego, CA, USA.
Allison E AielloUniversity of North Carolina, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Ananda B AmstadterVirginia Commonwealth University, Department of Psychiatry, Richmond, VA, USA.
Allison E Ashley-KochDuke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5409-9155
Dewleen G BakerUniversity of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1736-9838
Jean C BeckhamVA Mid-Atlantic, Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Marco P BoksUniversity Medical Center Utrecht, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Evelyn BrometState University of New York at Stony Brook, Epidemiology Research Group, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Michelle DennisVA Mid-Atlantic, Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Sandro GaleaBoston University, School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7534-0945
Melanie E GarrettDuke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Elbert GeuzeUniversity Medical Center Utrecht, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3479-2379
Guia GuffantiMcLean Hospital, Division of Depression and Anxiety, Belmont, MA, USA.
Michael A HauserDuke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Seyma KatrinliEmory University, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1575-8642
Varun KilaruEmory University, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Ronald C KesslerHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4831-2305
Nathan A KimbrelVA Mid-Atlantic, Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Karestan C KoenenHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Boston, MA, USA.
Pei-Fen KuanState University of New York at Stony Brook, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7861-916X
Kefeng LiUniversity of California, The Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center, Department of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7233-4347
Mark W LogueNational Center for PTSD, Behavioral Science Division at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.
Adriana LoriEmory University, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Benjamin J LuftState University of New York at Stony Brook, Department of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9008-7004
Mark W MillerNational Center for PTSD, Behavioral Science Division at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6393-8563
Jane C NaviauxUniversity of California, The Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center, Department of Neuroscience, San Diego, CA, USA.
Nicole R NugentBrown University, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Department of Pediatric Research, Providence, RI, USA.
Xuejun QinDuke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9169-253X
Kerry J ResslerEmory University, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5158-1103
Victoria B RisbroughUniversity of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8347-3820
Bart P F RuttenMaastricht University Medical Centre, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-9834-6346
Murray B SteinUniversity of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9564-2871
Robert J UrsanoUniformed Services University School of Medicine, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1861-9173
Eric VermettenUniversity Medical Center Utrecht, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-0579-4404
Christiaan H VinkersAmsterdam UMC (location VUmc), Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3698-0744
Lin WangUniversity of California, The Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center, Department of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA.
Nagy A YoussefMedical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Office of Academic Affairs, Augusta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1922-9396
INTRuST Clinical Consortium
VA Mid-Atlantic MIRECC Workgroup
PGC PTSD Epigenetics Workgroup
Monica UddinUniversity of South Florida, College of Public Health, Tampa, FL, USA.
Caroline M NievergeltUniversity of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Duke University · USUniversity of California San Diego · USHarvard University · USDuke Medical Center · USDurham VA Health Care System · USState University of New York · USBoston University · USSouth African Medical Research Council · ZAUniversity Medical Center Utrecht · NLBrown University · USEmory University · USUniversity of South Florida · USUniversity of Cape Town · ZAUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · USAmsterdam Neuroscience · NLAugusta University · USBaylor College of Medicine · USBroad Institute · USColumbia University · USEmory Healthcare · 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
$65.0MUNC-CH CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH &SUSCEPTIBILITYP30ES010126 · NIEHS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Hazel B Nichols · 2001 to 2026
$36.3MTraining Program in Psychiatric Genetics and Translational ResearchT32MH017119 · NIMH · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (SCH OF PUBLIC HLTH) · PI KARESTAN C KOENEN, Jukka-Pekka Onnela · 1985 to 2026
$8.9MGenetic and Trauma-Related Risk Factors for PTSDR01MH071537 · NIMH · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI RESSLER, KERRY J. · 2005 to 2014
$8.5MPsychiatric Genomics Consortium for PTSDR01MH106595 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI KARESTAN C KOENEN, Caroline M Nievergelt · 2016 to 2026
$8.4MThe Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Methylome: implications for PTSDR01MH108826 · NIMH · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI LOGUE, MARK W, NIEVERGELT, CAROLINE M · 2016 to 2024
$5.8MEcologic Stressors, PTSD, and Drug Use in DetroitR01DA022720 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI AIELLO, ALLISON E · 2007 to 2011
$4.7MGenomic Predictors of Combat Stress Vulnerability and ResilienceR01MH093500 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI NIEVERGELT, CAROLINE M · 2011 to 2013
$2.7MGenetic and estrogen-dependent regulation of the human PAC1R receptor and PTSDR01MH096764 · NIMH · MCLEAN HOSPITAL · PI RESSLER, KERRY J. · 2012 to 2016
$2.1M4/7 Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: Advancing Discovery and ImpactR01MH124847 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI NIEVERGELT, CAROLINE M, SEBAT, JONATHAN · 2021 to 2025
$2.1MThe Genetics of Negative Conflict BehaviorR01MH079806 · NIMH · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI MILLER, MARK W · 2007 to 2011
$1.5MEpigenetic Linkage Between PTSD and Respiratory Disease in WTC RespondersU01OH010416 · OH · STATE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK STONY BROOK · PI LUFT, BENJAMIN J · 2012 to 2013
$1000kBLRD VA I01 BX002150BLRD VA I01 BX002577CSRD VA I01 CX000431CSRD VA IK2 CX000525NICHD NIH HHS R21 HD100902NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA022720NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES010126NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH071537NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH079806NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH093500NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH096764NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH106595NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH108826NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH124847NIMH NIH HHS R56 MH071537NIMH NIH HHS RC1 MH088283NIMH NIH HHS T32 MH017119NIMH NIH HHS U01 MH087981NIOSH CDC HHS U01 OH010416
Abstract
Epigenetic differences may help to distinguish between PTSD cases and trauma-exposed controls. Here, we describe the results of the largest DNA methylation meta-analysis of PTSD to date. Ten cohorts, military and civilian, contribute blood-derived DNA methylation data from 1,896 PTSD cases and trauma-exposed controls. Four CpG sites within the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor repressor (AHRR) associate with PTSD after adjustment for multiple comparisons, with lower DNA methylation in PTSD cases relative to controls. Although AHRR methylation is known to associate with smoking, the AHRR association with PTSD is most pronounced in non-smokers, suggesting the result was independent of smoking status. Evaluation of metabolomics data reveals that AHRR methylation associated with kynurenine levels, which are lower among subjects with PTSD. This study supports epigenetic differences in those with PTSD and suggests a role for decreased kynurenine as a contributor to immune dysregulation in PTSD.
Indexed as
Basic Helix-Loop-Helix ProteinsDNA MethylationRepressor ProteinsStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticCase-Control StudiesCohort StudiesEpigenesis, GeneticEpigenomeFemaleHumansKynurenineMaleMilitary PersonnelWounds and InjuriesAHRR protein, humanBasic Helix-Loop-Helix ProteinsKynurenineRepressor Proteins
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