Symptom Persistence and Memory Performance in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Gene X Environment Pilot Study

Abstract: The FKBP5 gene, a glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-regulating co-chaperone of stress proteins, is of special interest because of its role in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis regulation. However, studies finding a genetic relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the FKBP5 gene have failed to distinguish between the development and persistence of PTSD, thereby limiting the prognostic usefulness of such a finding. The present study sought to longitudinally explore this question by examining the association between four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FKBP5 gene (rs3800373, rs9470080, rs1360780, and rs9296158), the persistence of PTSD (severity and diagnostic status), and memory performance among twenty-two treatment-seekers diagnosed with acute PTSD. Results showed that the four SNPs significantly interacted with improvement in PTSD symptoms as well as PTSD diagnostic status. Individuals homozygous for the dominant allele and having experienced higher levels of peritraumatic responses subsequently showed more memory dysfunction. The results of this study suggest that SNPs in the FKBP5 gene are associated with symptom persistence and memory dysfunction in acute PTSD.