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EFFECT OF THE APOE ε4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kimbrel, NA; Hauser, MA; Garrett, M; Ashley-Koch, A; Liu, Y; Dennis, MF; Klein, RC; Beckham, JC ...
Published in: Depress Anxiety
May 2015

BACKGROUND: The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele has been implicated in a range of neuropsychiatric conditions. The present research examined if the ε4 allele of the APOE gene moderated the effect of combat exposure on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans. METHOD: Participants included 765 non-Hispanic White (NHW) and 859 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans. A structured interview established psychiatric diagnoses. Combat exposure and PTSD symptom severity were assessed via self-report. RESULTS: The most common lifetime diagnoses were depression (39.2%), PTSD (38.4%), and alcohol dependence (24.38%). After correcting for multiple comparisons, no significant effects were observed on any of the outcomes among the NHW sample; however, within the NHB sample, significant gene × environment (G × E) interactions were observed for lifetime PTSD (P = .0029) and PTSD symptom severity (P = .0009). In each case, the APOE ε4 allele had no effect on the outcomes when combat exposure was low; however, when combat exposure was high, an additive effect was observed such that ε4 homozygotes exposed to high levels of combat reported the highest rates of PTSD (92%) and the worst symptom severity scores on the Davidson Trauma Scale (M = 79.5). CONCLUSIONS: Although preliminary, these findings suggest that the APOE ε4 allele, in conjunction with exposure to high levels of combat exposure, may increase veterans' risk for developing PTSD.

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Published In

Depress Anxiety

DOI

EISSN

1520-6394

Publication Date

May 2015

Volume

32

Issue

5

Start / End Page

307 / 315

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • White People
  • Warfare
  • Veterans
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Self Report
  • Psychiatry
  • Male
  • Iraq War, 2003-2011
  • Humans
  • Gene-Environment Interaction
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Kimbrel, N. A., Hauser, M. A., Garrett, M., Ashley-Koch, A., Liu, Y., Dennis, M. F., … Beckham, J. C. (2015). EFFECT OF THE APOE ε4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS. Depress Anxiety, 32(5), 307–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22348
Kimbrel, Nathan A., Michael A. Hauser, Melanie Garrett, Allison Ashley-Koch, Yutao Liu, Michelle F. Dennis, Rebecca C. Klein, Veterans Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center Workgroup, and Jean C. Beckham. “EFFECT OF THE APOE ε4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS.Depress Anxiety 32, no. 5 (May 2015): 307–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22348.
Kimbrel NA, Hauser MA, Garrett M, Ashley-Koch A, Liu Y, Dennis MF, et al. EFFECT OF THE APOE ε4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS. Depress Anxiety. 2015 May;32(5):307–15.
Kimbrel, Nathan A., et al. “EFFECT OF THE APOE ε4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS.Depress Anxiety, vol. 32, no. 5, May 2015, pp. 307–15. Pubmed, doi:10.1002/da.22348.
Kimbrel NA, Hauser MA, Garrett M, Ashley-Koch A, Liu Y, Dennis MF, Klein RC, Veterans Affairs Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center Workgroup, Beckham JC. EFFECT OF THE APOE ε4 ALLELE AND COMBAT EXPOSURE ON PTSD AMONG IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN-ERA VETERANS. Depress Anxiety. 2015 May;32(5):307–315.
Journal cover image

Published In

Depress Anxiety

DOI

EISSN

1520-6394

Publication Date

May 2015

Volume

32

Issue

5

Start / End Page

307 / 315

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • White People
  • Warfare
  • Veterans
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Self Report
  • Psychiatry
  • Male
  • Iraq War, 2003-2011
  • Humans
  • Gene-Environment Interaction