ASSOCIATION OF T-CELL RECEPTORS AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Abstract

The etiologic role, if any, of the adaptive immune system in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is poorly understood. Previous unpublished work has suggested that certain T cell receptor clonal enhancements may discriminate between PTSD+ and PTSD- patients. In this study, we prepared, and sequenced libraries of T cell receptors derived from patients with PTSD and matched controls. We identified and correlated a unique set of TCR rearrangements with the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis. Our study, to our knowledge, the first of its kind, reveals that 169 TCR VDJ rearrangements were enhanced in PTSD+ patients included in our study, while; comparatively, CDR3 lengths and overall TCR diversity did not significantly differ between PTSD+ and control groups.