368 | id == 368
368 | category_id == 22
368 | category_order == 19
368 | category_name == Trauma
368 | category_color == #C47AC0
368 | slug == BDNF-PTSD
368 | title == Faulty Fear Extinction & PTSD (BDNF)
368 | meta_description == BDNF helps form brain cell connections related to fear. Variants of BDNF have been associated with PTSD. Read more here.
368 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>BDNF helps form brain cell connections in a region of the brain implicated in extinguishing automatic stress responses. Variants of <em>BDNF</em> have been associated with PTSD. Read more to learn about this association, and to learn about recommendations you can follow that may mitigate the negative effects of these variants.&nbsp;</strong></p>
368 | overall_score_text == Your PTSD Score (based on BDNF gene)
368 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/BDNF-PTSD.jpg
368 | author_id == 14
368 | author_name == Shany Lahan
368 | author_title == MS (Neuroscience)
368 | author_order == 5
368 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Shany.webp
368 | author_intro == <p>Shany received her MSc in Neuroscience from Western University.</p>    <p>Prior to joining SelfDecode, Shany conducted research related to Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease, and taught science to undergraduate students. She believes that research should be accessible to everyone, regardless of scientific background. Shany joined SelfDecode&nbsp;with a mission to help others optimize their health and wellbeing &ndash; as well as help them understand the science behind it all.</p>
368 | reviewer == None
368 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
368 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
368 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
368 | publish_date == 2020
368 | publish_date == 9
368 | publish_date == 30
368 | avg_rating == 5.0
368 | tags_id == 160
368 | tags_name == BDNF Gene
368 | tags_id == 760
368 | tags_name == Fear Extinction
368 | tags_id == 532
368 | tags_name == Hippocampus
368 | tags_id == 57
368 | tags_name == Synaptic Plasticity
368 | permissions_favorite == False
368 | permissions_rate == False
368 | 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;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BDNF plays an important role in the formation of brain cell connections that are necessary for extinguishing automatic stress responses. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BDNF </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">may play a role in PTSD by lowering production of BDNF in certain regions of the brain. Lifestyle and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by increasing production of BDNF.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>BDNF</em> and PTSD</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/a-comprehensive-list-of-natural-ways-to-increase-bdnf/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BDNF</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is a protein essential to the expansion and survival of brain cells (neurons) during brain development. BDNF also plays important roles in strengthening, weakening, and reorganizing connections between neurons (</span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/synaptic-plasticity/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">neuroplasticity</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24668475/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BDNF can be found in regions of the brain such as the hippocampus. Among its many roles, the hippocampus is essential to fear extinction: the process of extinguishing automatic stress responses when exposed to similar details (e.g., sights, sounds, or smells) of an event that previously elicited fear [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30988377/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fear extinction is greatly impaired in individuals with <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/ptsd-causes-treatments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PTSD</a>. Not surprisingly, many studies have observed abnormal neuronal connectivity and activity of the hippocampus in PTSD [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29550677/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16891563/"><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;">Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BDNF </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">have been associated with PTSD. These variants may decrease production of BDNF in the hippocampus, leading to abnormal neuronal connection formation and subsequent reductions in hippocampal activity. Ultimately, this could result in impaired fear extinction and magnified symptoms of PTSD [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29550677/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29551049/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Your <em>BDNF</em> Results for PTSD</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*4465777773975827*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP: </strong><strong><em>BDNF </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs6265/"><strong>rs6265</strong></a></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Impaired fear extinction in PTSD&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Not associated with PTSD</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Other Important SNPs: </strong><strong><em>BDNF </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs56164415/"><strong>rs56164415</strong></a></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Increased risk of PTSD</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with PTSD&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">*9765359271855016*</p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Recommendations for Reducing Symptoms of PTSD</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*6132260828790499*</p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Exercise</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">There is abundant evidence showing that </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/top-14-proven-health-benefits-exercise-references-mechanisms/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">physical exercise</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> can promote neuroplasticity [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17879376/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16298350/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20869354/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29959048/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similarly, numerous studies have demonstrated increases in BDNF levels after exercise interventions. In two animal studies, physical exercise was found to increase the amount of BDNF specifically in the hippocampus [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21907264/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24120943/"><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;">Individuals who regularly take part in physical </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">exercise</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have been observed to experience lower levels of neuroticism, anxiety, and depression. Conversely, a number of studies have shown that individuals who do not exercise regularly may be at increased risk of anxiety [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16439008"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26088005/"><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;">Physical exercise interventions based on aerobic exercise, resistance training, or both improved PTSD in multiple trials. While aerobic exercise was more effective at reducing stress and anxiety, resistance training also helped ameliorate PTSD symptoms and tolerance to stress [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29049901/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29076530/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29145076/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15869081/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24911173/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25443996/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31743507/"><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;">A group of researchers subjected military veterans that carry rs6265-T and live with PTSD to an exercise intervention. They found exercise to significantly reduce the severity of PTSD symptoms in these individuals [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30388593/"><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;">Exercise may reduce symptoms of PTSD by increasing the amount of BDNF in the hippocampus.</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Yoga</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/health-benefits-yoga/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yoga</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has been shown to reduce stress in a number of studies, and a large body of evidence similarly supports its benefits in regards to anxiety reduction [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24049209"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25558129"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26228429"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3111147/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19341989"><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;">A yoga</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">program named &ldquo;trauma-sensitive yoga&rdquo; has been associated with reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety in individuals with PTSD [</span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27502798"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5393408/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28747121/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26133204/"><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;">In individuals with depression, yoga was found to significantly increase levels of BDNF in the blood. This effect was similar to that of a conventional medication [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24049208"><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;">In a study of older adults, an exercise intervention containing a yoga sequence was found to increase blood levels of BDNF. This finding was associated with an increase in hippocampal size, suggesting that BDNF was promoting the formation of new brain cells and brain cell connections in these individuals [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21282661/"><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;">Yoga may reduce symptoms of PTSD by increasing the amount of BDNF in the hippocampus.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Fish Oil (Omega-3)</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/fish-oil-top-22-science-based-health-benefits-of-fish-oil/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fish oil</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> contains DHA and EPA, two types of omega-3 fatty acids [</span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Low levels of DHA have been associated with PTSD. Conversely, supplementation of omega-3 and consequent high levels of EPA have been associated with reduced severity of PTSD symptoms after traumatic injury [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27567082/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27552592/"><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;">Many studies have shown that fish oil can increase the amount of BDNF in the brain and promote neuroplasticity [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31098654/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21720194/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16500747/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30367533/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23872044/"><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;">In a mouse study, omega-3 was found to increase the amount of BDNF specifically in the hippocampus, promote the development of hippocampal cells, and increase hippocampal size [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18848400/"><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;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Fish oil (omega-3) supplements may reduce symptoms of PTSD by increasing the amount of BDNF in the hippocampus.&nbsp;</span></span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Melatonin</strong></h4> <p><strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chronic </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/health-benefits-sleep/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sleep</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> disturbance reduces BDNF levels and increases the risk of stress-related disorders. People with PTSD tend to have lower melatonin levels and impaired sleep quality [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730229/">R</a>,<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4273450/"> R</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6910089/">R</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20554012/">R</a>].</span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">Melatonin supplementation before bedtime may improve sleep quality, but studies are yet to investigate its effects on PTSD [</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><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23691095/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></strong></p>
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368 | content_learn_more_9765359271855016_key == 9765359271855016
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368 | content_learn_more_9765359271855016_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your BDNF 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, yoga, and fish oil (omega-3) may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
368 | content_recommendation_6132260828790499_key == 6132260828790499
368 | content_recommendation_6132260828790499_blur == True
368 | content_recommendation_6132260828790499_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs56164415,rs6265
rsStatus = rs56164415,BDNF,chr11,27700188,G,A,,,34,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs6265,BDNF,chr11,27658369,C,T,,,38,0,Normal
