Methylation of FKBP5 and SLC6A4 in Relation to Treatment Response to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Frontiers in Psychiatry January 1, 2018 Jeffrey R Bishop, Adam M Lee, Lauren J Mills et al.
Veterans with PTSD who responded to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) showed decreased methylation in a specific region of the FKBP5 gene after treatment, while non-responders showed increased methylation. The change occurred in a glucocorticoid response element, suggesting meditation may affect stress-related molecular pathways. No baseline methylation differences were found between responders and non-responders. These preliminary results from 22 veterans indicate FKBP5 DNA methylation could be a biomarker for MBSR treatment response in PTSD, but validation in larger studies is needed.