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Biomolecules
Special Issues
Molecular Basis of Stress- and Trauma-Related Disorders
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Molecular Basis of Stress- and Trauma-Related Disorders

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 2640

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Vanessa Nieratschker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Germany, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
Interests: epigenetics in psychiatry; stress- and trauma-related disorders; biomarkers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Stress and the experience of traumatic events are risk factors for mental disorders, especially—but not exclusively—post-traumatic stress, major depressive and anxiety disorders. Several somatic disorders are also influenced by stressful and/or traumatic events, e.g., hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, obesity, etc. Research efforts have already identified molecular pathways and mechanisms contributing to the manifestation of disorders following stress and/or trauma. These include the epigenetic dysregulation of the HPA axis, (mal)-adaptations of the endocannabinoid system, as well as transcriptional changes following stress and/or trauma exposure that consequently lead to neuronal and behavioral adaptations. Furthermore, the immune system also plays a role in mediating the effects of stress and trauma on an individual’s health. 

However, to gain a deeper understanding of how stress and trauma interfere with molecular mechanisms and ultimately lead to a higher vulnerability to related disorders, the identification of further molecular pathways is warranted to fully appreciate the complex interactions between stress and/or trauma and various health outcomes. 

This Special Issue aims to present a collection of studies highlighting the latest cutting-edge and most recent developments and findings in the rapidly emerging field of molecular research on stress- and trauma-related disorders. 

Suggested publication topics will include, but are not limited to, studies concerning early-life stress, adult trauma, transgenerational transmission of stress and trauma experiences, neuropharmacology, epigenetics, genetics and genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, experimental models and preclinical studies in the format of full-length reviews or original articles. 

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Vanessa Nieratschker
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • stress
  • trauma
  • epigenetics
  • genetics
  • molecular mechanisms
  • transgenerational transmission
  • neuronal adaptations
  • transcriptomics
  • proteomics
  • metabolomics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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14 pages, 1456 KiB  
Article
Effects of Early Stress Exposure on Anxiety-like Behavior and MORC1 Expression in Rats
by Annakarina Mundorf and Nadja Freund
Biomolecules 2024, 14(12), 1587; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14121587 - 12 Dec 2024
Viewed by 556
Abstract
Exposure to stress during early and late childhood can lead to long-lasting neurobiological and behavioral impairments. Although sensitive periods for stress exposure are well established, less is known about the trajectory of induced alterations throughout development. In this study, we investigated the impact [...] Read more.
Exposure to stress during early and late childhood can lead to long-lasting neurobiological and behavioral impairments. Although sensitive periods for stress exposure are well established, less is known about the trajectory of induced alterations throughout development. In this study, we investigated the impact of maternal separation (MS), social isolation, and their combination on anxiety-like behavior and gene expression across developmental stages. Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to one or both stressors and later assessed for anxiety-like behavior in juvenility, adolescence, and adulthood. mRNA levels of Morc1, a gene linked to early-life stress and depression, were measured in the medial prefrontal cortex to assess developmental changes. The results showed that MS had age- and sex-dependent effects on anxiety-like behavior. Juveniles exhibited less anxiety after MS, while adolescents showed more pronounced behavioral changes following social isolation. No behavioral changes were observed in adults. Males exhibited greater anxiety-like behavior than females in adolescence and adulthood, but not in juvenility. Female adults exposed to both MS and social isolation had significantly lower Morc1 expression compared to controls. These findings highlight the dynamic effects of early stress across the lifespan, underscoring the critical role of adolescence and differential stress susceptibility by age and sex. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Basis of Stress- and Trauma-Related Disorders)
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20 pages, 3385 KiB  
Article
DNA Methylation of PXDN Is Associated with Early-Life Adversity in Adult Mental Disorders
by Susanne Edelmann, Jeysri Balaji, Sarah Pasche, Ariane Wiegand and Vanessa Nieratschker
Biomolecules 2024, 14(8), 976; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14080976 - 9 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1490
Abstract
Early-life adversity (ELA) is characterized by exposure to traumatic events during early periods of life, particularly involving emotional, sexual and/or physical adversities during childhood. Mental disorders are strongly influenced by environmental and lifestyle-related risk factors including ELA. However, the molecular link between ELA [...] Read more.
Early-life adversity (ELA) is characterized by exposure to traumatic events during early periods of life, particularly involving emotional, sexual and/or physical adversities during childhood. Mental disorders are strongly influenced by environmental and lifestyle-related risk factors including ELA. However, the molecular link between ELA and the risk of an adult mental disorder is still not fully understood. Evidence is emerging that long-lasting changes in the epigenetic processes regulating gene expression, such as DNA methylation, play an important role in the biological mechanisms linking ELA and mental disorders. Based on a recent study, we analyzed the DNA methylation of a specific CpG site within the gene PXDN—cg10888111—in blood in the context of ELA across a set of psychiatric disorders, namely Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), and its potential contribution to their pathogenesis. We found significant hypermethylation in mentally ill patients with high levels of ELA compared to patients with low levels of ELA, whereas cg10888111 methylation in healthy control individuals was not affected by ELA. Further investigations revealed that this effect was driven by the MDD cohort. Providing a direct comparison of cg10888111 DNA methylation in blood in the context of ELA across three mental disorders, our results indicate the role of PXDN regulation in the response to ELA in the pathogenesis of mental disorders, especially MDD. Further studies will be needed to validate these results and decipher the corresponding biological network that is involved in the transmission of ELA to an adult mental disorder in general. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Basis of Stress- and Trauma-Related Disorders)
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