When we think about what influences our mental health, we often think about things like our experiences, our environment and even our brain as having a big impact – and they do.
But our brain travels around in our body, so what goes on in our body can also have a big impact on how we feel mentally.
Molecular biology deals with the macromolecules essential to life – molecules like our DNA (code for our genes) and proteins (including enzymes and hormones with really important functions).
These molecules make up all the cells in our body, control all the processes our body does, and hold the instructions that make each of us unique.
Molecular biologists examine these different types of molecules to learn important information about what our body is doing and what it is capable of doing.
Biomarkers for PTSD
Using molecular biology to investigate mental health conditions (like PTSD) can include looking for biomarkers.
Biomarkers are any kind of biological trait that can be used to tell us about someone’s risk of developing a condition, whether they have a condition, or what treatments might work best for them.
However, because PTSD is a complex condition that can develop from many different types of trauma and lead to different combinations of symptoms, identifying biomarkers that reliably help everyone is a big challenge.
Finding biomarkers for PTSD can drive important solutions such as:
- Enabling faster diagnoses
- Eliminating ‘trial and error’ treatment plans
- Enabling early intervention to prevent or reduce impacts
Linking our mind and body
Our research at the Thompson Institute and the National PTSD Research Centre is focused on using molecular biology as one piece of the research puzzle to get larger, whole-body view of PTSD.
By combining molecular biology approaches with the world-leading neuroimaging research being done on-site at the Nola Thompson Advanced Imaging Centre looking at the structure and function of the brain, we can make new links between the body and brain in PTSD.
Making a real difference for people living with PTSD begins by recognizing that our mental health is connected to our mind, brain, and body and progress in overcoming this condition needs to consider all three.
What we are investigating
Our team are looking at PTSD biomarkers from several angles (see below).
Through these investigations, we hope to better understand what is biologically different for people with PTSD and identify biomarkers that could be used to monitor an individual’s symptoms in clinical settings.
Preliminary results of these studies are promising and are awaiting peer review by scientific journals.
These are biomarkers that can tell the difference between individuals with and without PTSD. So far, we have investigated a group of older adults with and without PTSD to see if there are differences in their genetics, blood markers, and brain structures that could be used as biomarkers to help identify people with and without PTSD.
These are biomarkers that can be measured repeatedly over time to tell us something about how a person’s PTSD is progressing or improving. In this area, we have compared the levels of a blood biomarker to PTSD symptoms in a group of people living with PTSD looking for patterns.
These are biomarkers that can tell us about the potential risk someone has of developing PTSD. This work is looking at the genetics of individuals who have or have not developed PTSD to identify patterns in their DNA that can reflect someone’s risk of developing PTSD.