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Psychiatry

A molecular shield from trauma

Nature volume 470, pages 468–469 (2011)Cite this article

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Why do some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder, but others emerge from a horrific event relatively unscathed? A molecule involved in orchestrating the brain's response to stress may hold the key to this difference. See Article p.492

Exposure to traumatic, potentially life-threatening events can change forever the way an individual views themselves and the world around them. In mental-health parlance, when one can't stop thinking (or dreaming) about the event, and can't restrain the fear response and resume everyday functioning, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has taken hold. On page 492 of this issue, Ressler et al.1 report that PACAP — a neuropeptide involved in coordinating the brain's response to stress — and ADCYAP1R1, the gene that encodes PACAP's receptor PAC1, are pivotal in determining whether an individual develops this disorder.

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Figure 1: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

REUTERS/P. ANDREWS; CENTRE: D. PRICE/ALAMY; RIGHT: IMAGE SOURCE/GETTY

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Murray B. Stein is in the Departments of Psychiatry and of Family & Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0855, USA. He is also in the Psychiatry Service at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego.,

    Murray B. Stein

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  1. Murray B. Stein
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Correspondence to Murray B. Stein.

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Stein, M. A molecular shield from trauma. Nature 470, 468–469 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/470468a

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