Can The Work Change your DNA?

Talk therapy may reverse biological changes in PTSD patients
Science Daily
Tue, 03 Dec 2013 11:49 CST

A new paper published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) not only reduces symptoms but also affects the underlying biology of this disorder.

The researchers, led by Dr. Szabolcs Kéri at the National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictions and University of Szeged in Hungary, recruited 39 individuals diagnosed with PTSD to participate in the study. For a comparison group, they also included 31 individuals who had been exposed to trauma, but who did not develop PTSD. The individuals with PTSD then received 12 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy, whereas the non-PTSD group received no therapy.

Before and after the 12 weeks, the researchers measured the volumes of certain brain regions using magnetic resonance imaging. They also collected blood samples to measure changes in expression of a specific gene, FKBP5, which has been implicated in the risk for developing PTSD and plays a role in regulating stress hormones.

Before therapy, compared with the control group, patients had lower FKBP5 gene expression and smaller hippocampal and medial orbitofrontal cortex volumes, important brain regions involved in learning, memory, and emotion regulation.

At the follow-up appointment 12 weeks later, the PTSD patients showed higher expression of FKBP5 and increased hippocampal volume. More importantly, these changes were directly associated with clinical improvement among the patients. The increased FKBP5 expression, and to a lesser degree the increased hippocampal volume, actually predicted improvement in their PTSD symptoms.

"The results show that structural changes in the brain, such as the shrinkage of the hippocampus, are reversible in trauma victims. Talk therapy may help normalize these alterations and improve symptoms," explained Kéri. "Furthermore, the regeneration of hippocampus correlated with the expression of a gene that balances the activity of the stress hormone cortisol at the level of cells."

"This study helps to link the alleviation of PTSD symptoms to improvement in stress-related alterations in the body and brain," said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry.

Why are these results important? The findings suggest that talk therapy may modulate fundamental biological factors: changes in gene expression, brain structure, and psychological improvement may be closely interrelated. These conclusions highlight even further the importance of early invention in PTSD development and treatment.

Journal Reference:

Einat Levy-Gigi, Csilla Szabó, Oguz Kelemen, Szabolcs Kéri. ''Association Among Clinical Response, Hippocampal Volume, and FKBP5 Gene Expression in Individuals with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Receiving Cognitive Behavioral Therapy''. Biological Psychiatry, 2013; 74 (11): 793 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.017

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Jamie Condliffe on Gizmodo
Massage Feels Good Because It Changes Your Gene Expression

Stiff muscles definitely benefit from a rub down, but scientists have never quite known why. Now, a team of researchers has shown that it works by changing your gene expression — quite literally, your body is hard-coded to release pain-easing chemicals when you're massaged.

If you listen to people in the world of alternative medicine, they'll normally tell you that massage "releases toxins". That is bull, and scientists know it. But knowing an answer is wrong doesn't give you the right one. No, doing some science does.

So, a team of researchers from McMaster University decided to look at what massage does on a cellular level. Their findings appear in Science Transnational Medicine, and they're actually pretty surprising. In reaction to massage, the body changes gene expression to reduce inflammation and promote repair of muscle fibers.

How the hell did they work that out? First, they rounded up 11 men and made them "cycle to the point of exhaustion". Then they randomly chose one leg from each guy to massage, and left the other one alone. Just when the volunteers thought the pain was over, the researchers took a muscle biopsy from both the massaged and non-massaged calves both 10 and 190 minutes later.

From those biopsies, they could work out what was happening at a cellular level, by analyzing the level of messenger RNA (mRNA) in the samples. mRNA acts, as its name suggests, just like a messenger: it tells the body to increase or decrease the rate of production of proteins that affect how our body works.

Turns out that the massaged legs had all been informed by mRNA to produce more of a protein called PGC-1alpha and less of one called NFkB. In English? Well, increased levels of PGC-1 alpha leads to the creation of more mitochondria, which in turn generates energy for cell growth. Basically, it increases the rate of muscle fiber repair. Reduced levels of NFkB, on the other hand, reduces inflammation.

So, while it's not only nice to feel the hands of an attractive massage therapist over your body, it also does actually do you some good, on a cellular level. Now you just need to convince your partner. [Science Transnational Medicine via Discover; Image: o5com]

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Chu said:

Very interesting, thanks!

On a similar note (also extrapolating), it reminded me of this article:

Jamie Condliffe on Gizmodo
Massage Feels Good Because It Changes Your Gene Expression

Stiff muscles definitely benefit from a rub down, but scientists have never quite known why. Now, a team of researchers has shown that it works by changing your gene expression — quite literally, your body is hard-coded to release pain-easing chemicals when you're massaged.

If you listen to people in the world of alternative medicine, they'll normally tell you that massage "releases toxins". That is bull, and scientists know it. But knowing an answer is wrong doesn't give you the right one. No, doing some science does.

So, a team of researchers from McMaster University decided to look at what massage does on a cellular level. Their findings appear in Science Transnational Medicine, and they're actually pretty surprising. In reaction to massage, the body changes gene expression to reduce inflammation and promote repair of muscle fibers.

How the hell did they work that out? First, they rounded up 11 men and made them "cycle to the point of exhaustion". Then they randomly chose one leg from each guy to massage, and left the other one alone. Just when the volunteers thought the pain was over, the researchers took a muscle biopsy from both the massaged and non-massaged calves both 10 and 190 minutes later.

From those biopsies, they could work out what was happening at a cellular level, by analyzing the level of messenger RNA (mRNA) in the samples. mRNA acts, as its name suggests, just like a messenger: it tells the body to increase or decrease the rate of production of proteins that affect how our body works.

Turns out that the massaged legs had all been informed by mRNA to produce more of a protein called PGC-1alpha and less of one called NFkB. In English? Well, increased levels of PGC-1 alpha leads to the creation of more mitochondria, which in turn generates energy for cell growth. Basically, it increases the rate of muscle fiber repair. Reduced levels of NFkB, on the other hand, reduces inflammation.

So, while it's not only nice to feel the hands of an attractive massage therapist over your body, it also does actually do you some good, on a cellular level. Now you just need to convince your partner. [Science Transnational Medicine via Discover; Image: o5com]

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For me it applies not only to massage, but also to any kind of progress made in the Work where one releases past traumas accumulated in the body, gets to know oneself better, and becomes healthier, thus also changing their DNA.

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