365 | id == 365
365 | category_id == 22
365 | category_order == 19
365 | category_name == Trauma
365 | category_color == #C47AC0
365 | slug == OXTR-PTSD
365 | title == The Love Hormone and Post Traumatic Stress (OXTR)
365 | meta_description == The oxytocin receptor OXTR affects the way our brains develop and perceive fear. What is its role in PTSD?
365 | summary == <p><strong>The oxytocin receptor gene <em>OXTR </em>affects the way our brains develop and perceive fear. What is its role in PTSD? Read on to learn more.</strong></p>
365 | overall_score_text == Your PTSD Score (based on OXTR)
365 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/OXTR-PTSD.jpg
365 | author_id == 1
365 | author_name == Jasmine Foster
365 | author_title == BSc, BEd
365 | author_order == 36
365 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Jasmine.jpg
365 | author_intro == <p><strong>Jasmine received her BS from McGill University and her BEd from Vancouver Island University.</strong></p>    <p>Jasmine loves helping people understand their brains and bodies, a passion that grew out of her dual background in biology and education. From the chem lab to the classroom, everyone has the right to learn and make informed decisions about their health.</p>
365 | reviewer == None
365 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
365 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
365 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
365 | publish_date == 2020
365 | publish_date == 9
365 | publish_date == 29
365 | avg_rating == 5.0
365 | tags_id == 112
365 | tags_name == Anxiety
365 | tags_id == 741
365 | tags_name == Fear
365 | tags_id == 16
365 | tags_name == OXTR Gene
365 | tags_id == 49
365 | tags_name == Oxytocin
365 | tags_id == 6
365 | tags_name == PTSD
365 | permissions_favorite == False
365 | permissions_rate == False
365 | content_article == <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Summary</span></h2> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes the oxytocin receptor. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may play a role in PTSD by reducing sensitivity to oxytocin and increasing sensitivity to fear triggers. Lifestyle and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by increasing oxytocin signalling.</span></p> <h2><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and PTSD</span></h2> <p><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/gene/oxtr/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">encodes the receptor for oxytocin, an important signalling molecule in the brain [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/5021"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We&rsquo;ve known for decades that </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/the-social-chilled-out-and-empathetic-genes-oxytocin-receptor-snps/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">oxytocin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, sometimes called the love hormone, is vital for social bonding and empathy. That may be why the </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/gene/oxtr/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene is among the best-studied genes in the human genome [</span><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0269881112473788"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene also changes the way our brains&mdash;specifically a part of the brain called the amygdala&mdash;develop [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4679629/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3104107/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20832055/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The amygdala is responsible for processing threat signals; put simply, it feels fear. The more sensitive your amygdala is to signs of threat, the more </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/63-factors-raising-stress-cortisol-level-backed-science/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">stressed out</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and anxious you will feel [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9861466"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18655902"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oxytocin reduces activity in the amygdala, thereby reducing </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/natural-treatments-anxiety/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">anxiety</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and fear. Thus, the larger your amygdala and the less sensitive you are to oxytocin, the more susceptible to anxiety you are likely to be [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9861466"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29019100"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16339042"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20647384"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15821089"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variant, rs53576, has been associated with both </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/ptsd-causes-treatments/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">PTSD</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and depression. This association in turn may be due to the larger and more developed amygdala common to people with reduced oxytocin signalling [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5605420/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31771350/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31291229/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The oxytocin signalling system affects the way that our brains develop and respond to fear, explaining the link between </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">and PTSD.</span></span></p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Results for PTSD</span></h2> <p>*7125360742003871*</p> <p><strong>OXTR </strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs53576/"><strong>rs53576</strong></a></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with PTSD</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Associated with increased rates of PTSD</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele may reduce sensitivity to oxytocin signalling. Researchers have argued that PTSD patients with at least one &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele may benefit from therapies targeting the oxytocin system [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5605420/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p>*6451603342960444*</p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recommendations for Improving Fear Symptoms</span></h2> <p>*4057167457684514*</p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Physical Touch</span></h3> <p><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/massage-health-benefits/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Massages</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> help stimulate the production and release of oxytocin throughout the brain, which is probably one of the main reasons why massages are so good at reducing stress and improving mood [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23251939"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9924739"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More generally, pleasant physical contact with other people and companion animals increases oxytocin release. If you want to increase the amount of oxytocin in your brain quickly and easily, hug your friends and pet your cats and dogs [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18842740"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5645535/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In animal-assisted therapy, animals are used to calm a patient and improve psychological symptoms. Oxytocin release is largely responsible for the beneficial effect of human-animal interactions on mental health. Horse- and dog-assisted therapy may improve PTSD symptoms in adults and children [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408111/">R</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6160012/">R</a>,<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5774121/"> R</a>,<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24067322/"> R</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23194140/">R</a>,<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29994814/"> R</a>].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The oxytocin system is currently under investigation as a target for PTSD therapies. In one study, patients receiving long-term intranasal oxytocin were less likely to develop PTSD than those receiving a placebo. Researchers also suspect that people with the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele at rs53576 would be more likely to benefit from oxytocin and oxytocin-related therapies [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5605420/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5400019/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Physical touch with humans and animals stimulates the oxytocin system, which is a promising target for PTSD therapies.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Supplements</span></h3> <h4><span style="font-weight: 400;">Melatonin</span></h4> <p><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/melatonin/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Melatonin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, commonly known as the </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/health-benefits-sleep/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sleep</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> hormone, is derived from the amino acid tryptophan and the neurotransmitter </span><a href="https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/how-to-increase-serotonin"><span style="font-weight: 400;">serotonin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. In a healthy system, it regulates the sleep-wake system, improves the immune response, and protects cells from damage [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001212/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to a handful of studies, </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/melatonin/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">melatonin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> boosts sensitivity to oxytocin by increasing </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">expression. Melatonin is considered generally safe to supplement with few (if any) serious side effects [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730229/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4273450/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A study on soldiers with PTSD found they produced lower melatonin levels at night [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6910089/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another human study found lower melatonin production following a traumatic injury, possibly increasing the risk of developing PTSD [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20554012/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research in animals shows that melatonin reduces fear conditioning, possibly helping with PTSD [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28061973/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h4><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lactobacillus </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Probiotics</span></h4> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lactobacillus reuteri</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was shown to increase </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/the-social-chilled-out-and-empathetic-genes-oxytocin-receptor-snps/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">oxytocin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in animals [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3547054/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A study found that people with PTSD had lower levels of anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory bacteria (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Actinobacteria</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lentisphaerae</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Verrucomicrobia</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) in the gut [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5763914/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In animal studies, PTSD reduced the levels of some bacteria (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lactobacillus</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oscillospira</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Streptococcus</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) while increasing others (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Akkermansia</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Helicobacter</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Campylobacter</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) in the gut. A </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lactobacillus reuteri</span></em> <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/probiotics-good-bacteria/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">probiotic</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may help correct this imbalance while also stimulating the oxytocin system [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29633335/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31719229/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3547054/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Melatonin may increase sensitivity to oxytocin, while </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lactobacillus reuteri</span></em> <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/probiotics-good-bacteria/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">probiotics</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may increase oxytocin release. Both have shown promise in studies on PTSD.</span></span></p>
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rsIDs = rs53576
rsStatus = rs53576,OXTR,chr3,8762685,A,G,T,,28,15,HET
