title: Effect of genetic variation in the nicotinic receptor genes on risk for posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: The present study examined the association between genetic variation in the nicotinic receptor gene family (CHRNA2, CHRNA3, CHRNA4, CHRNA5, CHRNA6, CHRNA7, CHRNA9, CHRNA10, CHRNB2, CHRNB3, CHRNB4) and the occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clinical interviews were used to diagnose PTSD in 925 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and 743 non-Hispanic White (NHW) participants. Trauma history and smoking status were assessed with self-report. No significant main effects or single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) * smoking interactions were observed among NHB participants; however, among NHW participants, a novel association between rs12898919 in the cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha-5 (CHRNA5) gene and PTSD was observed. No other significant main effects or SNP * smoking interactions were identified among NHW participants. While preliminary, these findings provide continued support for the hypothesis that the CHRNA5 gene is associated with increased risk for PTSD. Limitations of the present study include cross-sectional design, relatively small sample sizes for genetic research, use of self-report to assess smoking status, and use of different methods to diagnose PTSD. Additional research in other samples of trauma-exposed participants is needed to identify the specific functional variant(s) responsible for the association observed between CHRNA5 and PTSD risk in the present study.
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA. Electronic address: Nathan.Kimbrel@VA.gov.
authors.forename: Nathan A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kimbrel
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Disease Modeling, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Melanie E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Garrett
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Yutao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Ilyas
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Patanam
authors.affiliation: VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Va Mid-Atlantic Mirecc
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Workgroup
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Disease Modeling, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Allison E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ashley-Koch
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Jean C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Beckham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000235:genetics*; D012042:Registries; D012907:Smoking / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: C447158:CHRNA5 protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic
keywords: Gene; Genetic; Nicotine; PTSD; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Smoking; Trauma