Research report 2013 - Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry

Childhood maltreatment leaves long-lasting modifications on genes

Authors
Binder, Elisabeth
Departments
Translationale Forschung
Summary
Childhood maltreatment not only harms mind and body but leaves long-lasting modifications on genes. Patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder who have or have not experienced childhood maltreatment, displayed distinct epigenetic profiles in immune cells. Thus identical psychiatric diagnosis can be accompanied by distinct biological signatures and possibly differential response to treatment. This highlights the importance of the patient’s individual biography in defining disease subtypes.

For the full text, see the German version.

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