Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40021745›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Circulating biomarkers and neuroanatomical brain structures differ in older adults with and without post-traumatic stress disorder.

Bonnie L Quigley, Nathan Wellington, Jacob M Levenstein, Megan Dutton, Ana P Bouças, Grace Forsyth, Cyrana C Gallay, Maryam Hajishafiee, Ciara Treacy, Jim Lagopoulos and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Bonnie L QuigleyNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia. bonnie.quigley@usc.edu.au.
Nathan WellingtonNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Jacob M LevensteinNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Megan DuttonNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Ana P BouçasNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Grace ForsythNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Cyrana C GallayNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Maryam HajishafieeNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Ciara TreacyNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Jim LagopoulosThompson Brain and Mind Healthcare, Sunshine Plaza, Box 1544, Maroochydore, QLD, 4558, Australia.
Sophie C AndrewsNational PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Adem T Can *National PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.
Daniel F Hermens *National PTSD Research Centre at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD, 4575, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The aim of this study was to advance post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) understanding in older adults (48-77 years) by determining if circulating cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-12p70, IL17A and TNFα), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) and neuroanatomical brain volumes (grey and white matter, hippocampus, and amygdala) significantly differed in those with versus without PTSD. While none of the tested cytokines showed a significant difference, serum BDNF and VEGF-A levels were found to be significantly higher in the PTSD cohort. The assay used for BDNF quantification was important, with differences in general BDNF detected, but not when pro- and mature BDNF were measured specifically. Additionally, BDNF genotyping revealed a significant difference in Val66Met genotype distribution by PTSD diagnosis, with Val66Met carriers generally having lower circulating levels of BDNF compared to their Val66Val counterparts, regardless of PTSD diagnosis. Neuroanatomically, an all-female subset was examined to find total grey and white matter volumes and left and right hippocampal volumes were significantly smaller in those with PTSD. Collectively, these results show that both novel (VEGF-A) and established targets (BDNF and neuroimaging) may serve as useful biomarkers for older adults with PTSD.

Indexed as

BiomarkersBrainStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticAgedBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorCytokinesFemaleHippocampusHumansMaleMiddle AgedVascular Endothelial Growth Factor AWhite MatterBDNF protein, humanBiomarkersBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorCytokinesVascular Endothelial Growth Factor AVEGFA protein, humanBDNFCytokinesHippocampusPTSDVal66MetVEGF-A

Identifiers

PMID40021745
PMCPMC11871017

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.