Department of Psychology, Centre for Psychiatry, University of Konstanz, Feuerstein-Strasse. 55, Haus 22, 78479, Konstanz, Germany.
Division of Neurobiology, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Linköping, Building 463, Room 12.023, Linköping, Sweden.
Sci Rep. 2021 Sep 16;11(1):18493. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-98067-9.
The aftermath of traumatization lives on in the neural and epigenetic traces creating a momentum of affliction in the psychological and social realm. Can psychotherapy reorganise these memories through changes in DNA methylation signatures? Using a randomised controlled parallel group design, we examined methylome-wide changes in saliva samples of 84 female former child soldiers from Eastern DR Congo before and six months after Narrative Exposure Therapy. Treatment predicted differentially methylated positions (DMPs) related to ALCAM, RIPOR2, AFAP1 and MOCOS. In addition, treatment associations overlapped at gene level with baseline clinical and social outcomes. Treatment related DMPs are involved in memory formation-the key agent in trauma focused treatments-and enriched for molecular pathways commonly affected by trauma related disorders. Results were partially replicated in an independent sample of 53 female former child soldiers from Northern Uganda. Our results suggest a molecular impact of psychological treatment in women with war-related childhood trauma.Trial registration: Addressing Heightened Levels of Aggression in Traumatized Offenders With Psychotherapeutic Means (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02992561, 14/12/2016).
创伤后的后果会在神经和表观遗传痕迹中持续存在，从而在心理和社会领域产生痛苦的动力。心理疗法能否通过 DNA 甲基化特征的改变来重新组织这些记忆？我们使用随机对照平行组设计，在刚果民主共和国东部的 84 名前儿童兵女性接受叙事暴露疗法前后 6 个月，检查了唾液样本中的全甲基组变化。治疗预测了与 ALCAM、RIPOR2、AFAP1 和 MOCOS 相关的差异甲基化位置（DMP）。此外，治疗相关性 DMP 在基因水平上与基线临床和社会结局重叠。与创伤相关障碍共同受影响的分子途径相关的治疗相关 DMP 参与了记忆形成——这是创伤聚焦治疗的关键因素。在来自乌干达北部的 53 名前儿童兵女性的独立样本中，部分复制了这些结果。我们的研究结果表明，心理治疗对与战争有关的童年创伤女性具有分子影响。试验注册：通过心理治疗手段解决创伤后罪犯的高度攻击性问题（ClinicalTrials.gov 标识符：NCT02992561，2016 年 12 月 14 日）。
