Epigenetic signatures in the psychotherapeutic treatment of anxiety disorders

Davidson, SD (Sarah)

Submission type

Poster only

Scheduled

Poster, Beurs van Berlage , Grote Zaal

Kernwoorden

psychotherapy, novel therapeutic approaches

Onderzoeksgebied

Neuroscience

Introductie

Epigenetics can be defined as heritable variations in genetic material which do not alter the DNA sequence. The most common epigenetic modification is by histone methylation which can activate or silence gene expression. Methylation can be affected by environmental factors such as stress, diet, smoking and medications. In 2012, psychotherapy was proposed as a possible epigenetic drug. The current study aimed to assess the available literature regarding epigenetic signatures in the treatment of anxiety disorders using psychotherapy.

Materiaal en methodes

A literature review was conducted using Pubmed, EMBASE, PsychINFO using the search terms "epigenetic", "epigenetics", "psychotherapy", "anxiety".

Resultaten

Seven papers involving human subjects were identified which referred to epigenetic alterations following the psychotherapeutic treatment of anxiety disorders.

Conclusie

There is a small, emerging evidence base for altered epigenetic signatures following psychotherapeutic interventions. Limitations of studies included small sample sizes, heterogeneous treatment modalities and short-term interventions and follow-up. There are no current studies examining long-term outcomes following psychoanalytic psychotherapy.