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Is plasma GABA level a biomarker of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) severity? A preliminary study
Marion Trousselard1, Bertrand Lefebvre2, Lionel Caillet3
1Département de neurosciences et Contraintes Opérationnelles, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, BP 73, 91223 Brétigny sur Orge Cedex, France; Ecole du Val de Grâce, 1 A Lavéran, 75005 Paris, France; Chaire de Mindfulness, Bien-être au travail et paix économique, Grenoble Ecole de Management, 12 rue Pierre Sémard, BP 127, 38003 Grenoble Cedex 01, France; APEMAC-EPSam UDL UFR SHS, Ile de Saulcy, 57045 Metz Cedex 1, France.
Objectives:
An increased reactivity to the environment is observed in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It would be related to impairment of the Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) neurotransmission. The study aimed to evaluate plasma GABA concentration as a candidate for PTSD severity biomarker.
Methods:
This hypothesis was studied in 17 PTSD patients and 17 healthy Controls using classic and emotional Stroop paradigms. Plasma GABA concentrations were assessed before and after both Stroop tests to evaluate GABA basal tone and GABA reactivity (change in GABAp), respectively.
Results:
During baseline, PTSD had lower plasma GABA concentrations than the Controls. After the Stroop conflicts GABA reactivity was also lower in PTSD than in the Controls. The GABA baseline tone was negatively correlated with the severity of the PTSD symptoms. This relation was only marginally observed for GABA reactivity. The results produced a trend due to the small size of the sample compared to the number of statistical results given.
Conclusion:
Altogether, the reduced GABA concentration observed in PTSD could be considered as a possible biomarker for PTSD severity.
