Longitudinal Associations Between Peritraumatic Oestradiol and Fear Responding in Women and Men

PTSD is more prevalent in women than men and associated with autonomic dysfunction. Higher oestradiol levels have been associated with decreased PTSD severity, however, the impact of oestradiol on autonomic function is not well characterised. We examined associations among peritraumatic oestradiol levels and autonomic function in the multi-site AURORA study. Participants (n = 283, 69.6% female) were recruited from the emergency department (ED) following trauma exposure. Skin conductance (SC) was measured during trauma recall at the ED. Oestradiol was assayed from blood collected at ED, 2-week and 6-month. Fear conditioning, including fear potentiated startle (FPS), was completed at 2-week and 6-month. In women, ED oestradiol was significantly positively associated with ED SC and FPS at 6-month. In men, significant negative correlations between ED oestradiol and SC were found. Among women in the study, peritraumatic oestradiol was positively associated with fear responding 6-month. Findings suggest that the protective effects of oestradiol on PTSD may depend on other factors, such as time since trauma. Additional research is needed to elucidate how peritraumatic oestradiol and autonomic function may interact to confer risk for PTSD.

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Publication Details

Journal
Stress and Health
Published
2025-03-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3522
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.31

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article

Longitudinal Associations Between Peritraumatic Oestradiol and Fear Responding in Women and Men

Brittany E. Punches, Christopher Lewandowski, Jutta Joormann, Claire Pearson et al.
1 citations
Stress and Health
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
2.31
article

Longitudinal Associations Between Peritraumatic Oestradiol and Fear Responding in Women and Men

Brittany E. Punches, Christopher Lewandowski, Jutta Joormann, Claire Pearson, Elizabeth M. Datner, Paulina Sergot, Tanja Jovanović, Antonia V. Seligowski, Scott L. Rauch, Jennifer Strafford Stevens, Laura Thi Germine, John P. Haran, Stacey L. House, Xinming An, Phyllis L. Hendry, Karestan C. Koenen, Robert M. Domeier, Robyn A. Ellis, Charis Wiltshire, Mark John Seamon, José L. Pascual, William Davie, Gari D. Clifford, Thomas C. Neylan, Samuel A. McLean, Steven E. Bruce, Alan B. Storrow, Ronald C. Kessler, Sarah D. Linnstaedt, Natalie C. Noble, Mariam Reda, Niels K. Rathlev, Paul I. Musey, Francesca L. Beaudoin, Sophia Sheikh, David A. Peak, León D. Sánchez, Theresa K. Webber, Kerry J. Ressler, Rebecca Hinrichs, Brian J. O’Neil
article en
1 citations

Abstract

PTSD is more prevalent in women than men and associated with autonomic dysfunction. Higher oestradiol levels have been associated with decreased PTSD severity, however, the impact of oestradiol on autonomic function is not well characterised. We examined associations among peritraumatic oestradiol levels and autonomic function in the multi-site AURORA study. Participants (n = 283, 69.6% female) were recruited from the emergency department (ED) following trauma exposure. Skin conductance (SC) was measured during trauma recall at the ED. Oestradiol was assayed from blood collected at ED, 2-week and 6-month. Fear conditioning, including fear potentiated startle (FPS), was completed at 2-week and 6-month. In women, ED oestradiol was significantly positively associated with ED SC and FPS at 6-month. In men, significant negative correlations between ED oestradiol and SC were found. Among women in the study, peritraumatic oestradiol was positively associated with fear responding 6-month. Findings suggest that the protective effects of oestradiol on PTSD may depend on other factors, such as time since trauma. Additional research is needed to elucidate how peritraumatic oestradiol and autonomic function may interact to confer risk for PTSD.

Stress and HealthVol. 41(2)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US), Brigham and Women's Hospital (US), Trinity Health (US), Georgia Institute of Technology (US), Baystate Medical Center (US), Harvard University (US), Emory University (US), Henry Ford Health System (US), University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (US), University of California, San Francisco (US), Wayne State University (US), Washington University in St. Louis (US), University of Missouri–St. Louis (US), Brown University (US), University of Michigan (US), Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (US), McLean Hospital (US), Detroit Receiving Hospital (US), Yale University (US), University of Florida (US), Massachusetts General Hospital (US), St. John Hospital & Medical Center (US), Jefferson Hospital (US), Indiana University School of Medicine, The Ohio State University (US), Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (US), University of Pennsylvania (US), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (US), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (US), Florida College (US)
MAYDAY Fund, One Mind, U.S. Army, National Institute of Mental Health
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
2.31
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