Abstract
Women are particularly vulnerable to the effects of psychological trauma and the development of trauma-, stressor-, and anxiety-related mental illnesses such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the current chapter, we examine the female hormonal systems that interact with psychobiological stress response systems to elicit maladaptive behavior and mental disease states in traumatized female populations. In addition, we provide a contemporary translational example of a stress vulnerability genomic profile (coding for pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide) that may underlie the specific susceptibilities observed in women. Translational scientific investigations such as those described herein may lead to the identification of risk and resilience factors for PTSD as well as enhanced clinical interventions for treating excessive fear and anxiety.
Keywords:
Anxiety; Estrogen; Fear; Hormones; Trauma; Women.
© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Animals
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Estrogens / metabolism*
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Female
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Genetic Predisposition to Disease
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Humans
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Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / metabolism
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Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / physiology
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Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / physiopathology
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Male
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Neurosecretory Systems / physiology
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Neurosecretory Systems / physiopathology*
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Ovary / metabolism*
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Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide / blood
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Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide / metabolism
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Pituitary-Adrenal System / metabolism
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Pituitary-Adrenal System / physiology
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Pituitary-Adrenal System / physiopathology
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Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
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Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide, Type I / agonists
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Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide, Type I / genetics
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Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide, Type I / metabolism
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Risk
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Sex Factors
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Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology
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Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / genetics
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Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / metabolism
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Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / physiopathology*
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Testis / metabolism
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Testosterone / metabolism
Substances
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ADCYAP1 protein, human
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ADCYAP1R1 protein, human
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Estrogens
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Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide
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Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide, Type I
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Testosterone