Psychogenetics of post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a complex genetic basis that is triggered by exposure to an extremely traumatic environmental event. A deletion of the DYT1 gene, encoding torsin-A, an adenosine triphosphatase, was identified in a family whose predominant phenotype was myoclonic dystonia but in which several members presented with a range of psychiatric illnesses including PTSD. However, the role of DYT1 in PTSD is unclear. Some studies support a possible association between alleles of the dopamine D2 receptor gene and PTSD, while others show no such allelic association.
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References
Mol Psychiatry 2001;6:360–362.
Torsion dystonia 1 gene. Online Mendelian Inheritance in ManTM, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/dispomim.cgi?id=605204. Accessed on 21 January 2003.