Backtracing persistent biomarker shifts to the age of onset: A novel procedure applied to men’s and women’s white blood cell counts in post-traumatic stress disorder

Traumatic experiences tend to be preserved in altered biomarker profiles. These profiles can traced back from cross-sectional data regarding the age of exposure. Consequently, change across developmental stages, e.g. childhood adulthood, also reconstructed. This study introduces a backtrace procedure that is illustrated using white blood cell (WBC) counts full / partial post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The was applied separately on men's and women's provide replication analysis based different subsamples. carried out with CoLaus|PsyCoLaus (N = 5111, 2370 men 2741 women, range 35–88 years). It restricted traumatic occurred until 35, i.e., lower limit sample. WBC up two assessments were standardized, pooled assigned reported trauma resulted series for each marker, whereas reference values subjects who did not experience any ascertained peaks troughs determined best-fitting critical surrounding peak or trough best p-value simple t-tests. In CoLaus|PsyCoLaus, 750 participants exposure 86 (out 329) 187 421) women thereof coded PTSD. Full PTSD after characterized by increased (lymphocytes, eosinophils – neutrophils). pattern partly retained during adolescence, due lymphocyte counts. For young deviations negative direction decreased basophils, lymphocytes monocytes. Summarizing, approach revealed specific particular stages. strongest persistent upregulation immune system related traceable early adolescence both women. Further research will show which biomarkers are similarly suitable backtracing as As PTSD, could identifying other mental disorders, well autoimmune chronic diseases.