Oxytocin receptor variant rs53576 genotype is associated with dysphoric arousal symptoms of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder in Chinese earthquake survivors

Cheng-Qi Cao; Li Wang; Ruo-Jiao Fang; Gen Li; Ping Liu; Shu Luo; Xiang-Yang Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.cjtee.2021.03.007

Oxytocin receptor variant rs53576 genotype is associated with dysphoric arousal symptoms of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder in Chinese earthquake survivors

Chin J Traumatol. 2021 Jul;24(4):209-213. doi: 10.1016/j.cjtee.2021.03.007. Epub 2021 Mar 28.

Authors

Cheng-Qi Cao¹, Li Wang², Ruo-Jiao Fang¹, Gen Li¹, Ping Liu³, Shu Luo³, Xiang-Yang Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
² Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. Electronic address: wangli1@psych.ac.cn.
³ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, People' s Hospital of Deyang City, Deyang, 618000, Sichuan Province, China.

Abstract

Purpose: Evidence suggests that the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene may be involved in the psychopathology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aimed to investigate the effects of OXTR rs53576 genotype on PTSD symptoms introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted among 1140 adults who had personally experienced the Wenchuan earthquake. PTSD symptoms were measured with the PTSD checklist for DSM-5. A custom-by-design 2 × 48-Plex SNPscan^TM Kit were used to determine the OXTR rs53576. Multiple regression models were used to analyze the independent and interactive effects of OXTR rs53576 genotype and earthquake exposure on the severity of total PTSD symptoms and different dimensions of PTSD symptoms.

Results: The results revealed that the rs53576 genotype could significantly predict PTSD symptoms (β = 0.055, p = 0.045). Further analysis showed that the rs53576 genotype was only significantly associated with dysphoric arousal symptoms of PTSD (β = 0.080, p = 0.005). The rs53576 genotype × earthquake exposure interaction had no significant effect on different symptom clusters (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: This study showed that the rs53576 genotype was only associated with the dysphoric arousal symptoms but not with other symptom clusters of PTSD. These findings support the role of the OXTR on the psychopathology of PTSD and help us to understand the genetic basis of PTSD.

Keywords: Oxytocin receptor; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Single nucleotide polymorphism.

MeSH terms

Adult
Arousal
China
Cross-Sectional Studies
Earthquakes*
Gene-Environment Interaction
Genotype
Humans
Receptors, Oxytocin / genetics
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / diagnosis
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / genetics
Survivors

Substances

OXTR protein, human
Receptors, Oxytocin