Schür Remmelt R, Boks Marco P, Geuze Elbert, Prinsen Hubertus C, Verhoeven-Duif Nanda M, Joëls Marian, Kahn René S, Vermetten Eric, Vinkers Christiaan H
Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2016 Nov;73:263-270. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.08.014. Epub 2016 Aug 17.
The GABA system is pivotal for an adequate response to a stressful environment but has remained largely unexplored in this context. The present study investigated the relationship of prospectively measured plasma GABA levels with psychopathology symptoms in military deployed to Afghanistan at risk for developing psychopathology following trauma exposure during deployment, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Plasma GABA levels were measured in military personnel (N=731) one month prior to deployment (T0), and one (T1) and six months (T2) after deployment using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Mental health problems and depressive symptoms were measured with the Dutch revised Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) and PTSD symptoms with the Dutch Self-Rating Inventory for PTSD (SRIP). Six months after deployment increases in GABA concentrations were present in individuals who had developed mental health problems (T2: β=0.06, p=1.6×10, T1: β=4.7×10, p=0.13), depressive symptoms (T2: β=0.29, p=7.9×10, T1: β=0.23, p=0.072) and PTSD symptoms at T2 (T2: β=0.12, p=4.3×10, T1: β=0.11, p=0.13). Plasma GABA levels prior to and one month after deployment poorly predicted a high level of psychopathology symptoms either one or six months after deployment. The number of previous deployments, trauma experienced during deployment, childhood trauma, age and sex were not significantly associated with plasma GABA levels over time. Exclusion of subjects who either started or stopped smoking, alcohol or medication use between the three time points rendered the association of increasing GABA levels with the emergence of psychopathology symptoms more pronounced (mental health problems at T2: β=0.09, p=4.2×10; depressive symptoms at T2: β=0.35, p=3.5×10, PTSD symptoms at T2: β=0.17, p=1.7×10). To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide prospective evidence that the development of psychopathology after military deployment is associated with increasing plasma GABA levels. Our finding that plasma GABA rises after the emergence of psychopathology symptoms suggests that GABA increase may constitute a compensatory mechanism and warrants further exploration of the GABA system as a potential target for treatment.
γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）系统对于应对压力环境的适当反应至关重要，但在这种情况下，该系统在很大程度上仍未得到充分研究。本研究调查了前瞻性测量的血浆GABA水平与部署到阿富汗的军人心理病理学症状之间的关系，这些军人在部署期间遭受创伤后有患心理病理学疾病的风险，包括创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）和重度抑郁症（MDD）。在部署前一个月（T0）、部署后一个月（T1）和六个月（T2），使用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法（UPLC-MS/MS）对731名军人的血浆GABA水平进行了测量。使用荷兰修订的症状清单（SCL-90）测量心理健康问题和抑郁症状，使用荷兰PTSD自评量表（SRIP）测量PTSD症状。部署六个月后，出现心理健康问题的个体（T2：β=0.06，p=1.6×10，T1：β=4.7×10，p=0.13）、抑郁症状（T2：β=0.29，p=7.9×10，T1：β=0.23，p=0.072）和T2时的PTSD症状（T2：β=0.12，p=4.3×10，T1：β=0.11，p=0.13）的GABA浓度均有所升高。部署前和部署后一个月的血浆GABA水平并不能很好地预测部署后一个月或六个月时的高水平心理病理学症状。既往部署次数、部署期间经历的创伤、童年创伤、年龄和性别与血浆GABA水平随时间的变化均无显著相关性。排除在三个时间点之间开始或停止吸烟、饮酒或使用药物的受试者后，GABA水平升高与心理病理学症状出现之间的关联更为明显（T2时的心理健康问题：β=0.
