366 | id == 366
366 | category_id == 22
366 | category_order == 19
366 | category_name == Trauma
366 | category_color == #C47AC0
366 | slug == srr-ptsd
366 | title == Why Are Low Levels Of D-Serine Associated With PTSD? (SRR)
366 | meta_description == Variants of SRR are associated with PTSD risk and severity. Click here for some diet and gene-based tips!
366 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify">The SRR gene makes a chemical that can affect how strong or weak the connections within your brain are. What relationship does this have to PTSD? Read on to find out.</p>
366 | overall_score_text == Your PTSD Score (based on SRR gene)
366 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/SRR-PTSD.jpg
366 | author_id == 15
366 | author_name == John Williams
366 | author_title == B.Sc
366 | author_order == 3987
366 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/sinan_pic.png
366 | author_intro == <p>John received his BSc from the University of Toronto.&nbsp;John has spent the last several years teaching high school science and math to English-language learners, which has forced him to learn how to simplify difficult concepts as much as possible. He has also worked in two different research labs and has experience as a student intern working and studying under doctors in hospitals and clinics to help diagnose and treat patients, interpret lab results and fill out mountains of paperwork.</p>
366 | reviewer == None
366 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
366 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
366 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
366 | publish_date == 2020
366 | publish_date == 9
366 | publish_date == 30
366 | avg_rating == 5.0
366 | tags_id == 728
366 | tags_name == Long-Term Potentiation
366 | tags_id == 759
366 | tags_name == NMDA Receptor
366 | tags_id == 6
366 | tags_name == PTSD
366 | tags_id == 757
366 | tags_name == Serine
366 | tags_id == 57
366 | tags_name == Synaptic Plasticity
366 | permissions_favorite == False
366 | permissions_rate == False
366 | content_article == <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SRR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">encodes serine racemase, a protein that turns L-serine into D-serine. Variants that produce less D-serine have less NMDA receptor activity, making it harder to change the neural connections in your brain and potentially leading to PTSD-like symptoms. Lifestyle, diet, and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by increasing D-serine levels, increasing L-serine levels or increasing NMDA receptor signaling.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>SRR</em> and PTSD</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Serine can exist as L-serine or D-serine. The difference is the way the atoms are arranged in space, similar to the difference between your left hand and your right hand. The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SRR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene encodes serine racemase, a protein that is used to turn L-serine into D-serine [</span><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21553769.2019.1622596"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025687/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Glutamate is a chemical responsible for activating a number of pathways in the brain. Glutamate has to bind to NMDA receptors to do its job. NMDA receptors are responsible for long-term potentiation, where the connections in your brain become stronger as you activate them more and more. D-serine is required to help turn the NMDA receptor &lsquo;on&rsquo; [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025687/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181613/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fear extinction is when your fear of something decreases as you become exposed to it more and more. It is used in exposure therapy, one of the treatments for PTSD. One clinical trial found that D-cycloserine, a very similar molecule to D-serine, reduced fear in patients undergoing exposure therapy. Some variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SRR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that produce less D-serine are associated with increased PTSD symptoms [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15520361/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025687/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Your <em>SRR</em> Results for PTSD</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*2090321789720970*</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>SRR</em></strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs4523957/"><strong>rs4523957</strong></a></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = associated with increased odds and severity of PTSD</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = not associated with PTSD</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 'TT' variant results in less D-serine being produced in the brain [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025687/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*9841687257277338*</strong></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Recommendations for Improving PTSD</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*4186844195136541*</strong></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Physical Exercise</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/synaptic-plasticity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Synaptic plasticity</a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">&nbsp;is the ability of the connections in your brain to become stronger or weaker over time. Variants that produce less D-serine will have less active NMDA receptors. Since NMDA receptors are the primary way in which synaptic plasticity occurs, it will be harder to 'rewire' the brain in order to improve PTSD symptoms [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19366490/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">One way to compensate for this is through <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/top-14-proven-health-benefits-exercise-references-mechanisms/">physical exercise</a>. Besides numerous other health benefits, exercise has been linked to increased synaptic plasticity. Exercise also increases levels of Neuropeptide Y, a molecule whose presence appears to be associated with reduced symptoms of PTSD [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20890449/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27417856/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Physical exercise may help with symptoms of PTSD by increasing synaptic plasticity.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Diet</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Soy</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variants that produce less <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/serine/">serine</a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">&nbsp;may be able to obtain the difference from their diet. Soy products such as tofu have high levels of L-serine, which can be converted to D-serine in the brain. Furthermore, a pilot study from Germany that provided fermented soy product to soldiers with PTSD saw the soldiers report an improvement in their symptoms [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5343079/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25436688/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Adding more soy to your diet may provide additional serine and help with PTSD.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>D-Serine</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The product of the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SRR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene, D-serine, is available as a supplement. A clinical trial where patients with PTSD were given D-serine supplements for 6 weeks saw them report improvements to both PTSD and anxiety symptoms [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19366490/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Supplementing with D-serine may improve symptoms of PTSD.</span></p>
366 | content_snp_table_2090321789720970_key == 2090321789720970
366 | content_snp_table_2090321789720970_blur == True
366 | content_snp_table_2090321789720970_hidden == False
366 | content_learn_more_9841687257277338_key == 9841687257277338
366 | content_learn_more_9841687257277338_blur == True
366 | content_learn_more_9841687257277338_hidden == False
366 | content_learn_more_9841687257277338_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your SRR gene makes you somewhat more likely to develop PTSD. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of PTSD; it’s just one gene related to it. Exercise, soy, and D-serine supplementation may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
366 | content_recommendation_4186844195136541_key == 4186844195136541
366 | content_recommendation_4186844195136541_blur == True
366 | content_recommendation_4186844195136541_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs4523957
rsStatus = rs4523957,SMG6,chr17,2305605,G,T,,,17,18,HET
