Elevated circulatory level of GABAA – antagonistic neurosteroids in patients with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder
- 1 March 2000
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Psychological Medicine
- Vol. 30 (5) , 1227-1231
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291799002731
Abstract
Background. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a multisystem neurobiological disorder with chronic alterations in various neurochemical systems. Levels of the GABAA – antagonistic neurosteroids plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphate derivate, dehydro-epiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) may be relevant to depressive and anxiety disorders, including PTSD.Methods. We assessed the circulatory levels of morning plasma DHEA and DHEAS in 21 male out-patients with untreated chronic combat-related PTSD (CR-PTSD), and 18 healthy control male subjects.Results. Compared with the control subjects, the PTSD patients showed significantly higher plasma DHEA and DHEAS levels.Conclusions. Chronic CR-PTSD may be associated with increased circulatory level of neuroactive steroids with inhibitory activity at the GABAA receptors. Neurosteroid-induced decreased GABA-ergic tone may be relevant to the symptomatology and pathophysiology of chronic PTSD, as well as to the frequent co-morbidity of PTSD with depression and anxiety disorders.Keywords
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