ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre

Compelling evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation play a role in stress regulation and in the etiologic basis of stress related disorders such as Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Here we describe the purpose and methods of an international consortium that was developed to study the role of epigenetics in PTSD.

We review current knowledge on how posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with dysregulation of the most commonly studied markers of the endocrine and immune systems pre-, peri- and post-trauma. Lower basal cortisol output, enhanced glucocorticoid receptor function, and a proinflammatory state have been most consistently found in PTSD, with considerable variability among studies and participants. Longitudinal research is scarce, but there is converging evidence that biological dysregulation is present before PTSD onset.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychiatric disorder that has been associated with lower white matter

integrity of tracts connecting the prefrontal cortex with limbic regions. However, previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) findings have

been inconsistent, showing high variability in the exact location and direction of effects. Methods: We performed probabilistic tractography

Differences in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) functioning between patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and controls are among the most consistent neurobiological findings in PTSD. HPA-axis activation results in the output of various steroid hormones including dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is then converted into dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), with anti-glucocorticoid actions among its pleiotropic effects.

In an attempt to decrease the risk of developing mental health problems after military deployment, it is important to find biological markers to identify those at risk. Oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are potential biomarkers for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because they are involved in the regulation of stress and anxiety. Therefore, the aim was to examine whether plasma OT (pOT) and AVP (pAVP) levels before and after deployment are biomarkers for the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms over time in addition to other known risk factors.

Problems involving anger and aggression are common after military deployment, and may involve abnormal responses to threat. This study therefore investigated effects on neural activation related to threat and escapability among veterans with deployment experience.

In this article we introduce a Creative Arts in Psychotherapy (CAP) treatment protocol for children who have been traumatized, aiming to enhance their psychological wellbeing and strengthening positive development. The protocol combines principles of group dynamics and multimodal arts activities in order to facilitate healing through the three stages of the trauma recovery model; creating a safe space, telling the trauma story, and preparing the children to return to the community.

Novel pharmacotherapies that improve outcomes for individuals with stress-related psychiatric disorders are needed. The

neurohormone oxytocin (OT) is a promising candidate given its influence on the social–emotional brain. In this review, we

present an overview of evidence supporting OT’s utility for treating major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress

disorder.We first discuss endogenous OT, which research suggests is not yet a reliable biomarker of stress-related disorders.

The European Journal of Psychotraumatology is proud

to announce its first special issue focusing on the

neurobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder

(PTSD).

Since its inception, the journal has published

a number of papers on the neural mechanisms underlying

PTSD, including review articles on the biological

correlates of complex PTSD (Marinova &

Maercker, 2015), restoring large scale brain networks

in PTSD and related disorders (Lanius, Frewen,

Tursich, Jetly, & McKinnon, 2015), and pharmacological

This study confirms that the developmental stage of post-disaster psychosocial support planning and

delivery systems in Europe is associated with countries’ level of disaster vulnerability. Lower

vulnerability is accompanied by more evolved planning and delivery systems. Countries in north, west

and central regions have more developed planning and delivery systems and lower vulnerability levels

than those in the south, southeast and east. The highest proportion of variance in vulnerability is