FKBP5 gene may have role in traumatic memories and PTSD

Collaborative research led by a team at New York University Langone Medical Center (NY, USA) has described a gene, termed FKBP5, which appears to play a role in memory formation after traumatic events in both mice and humans. The team suggested that manipulation of this gene could help prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study, published recently in Neuropharmacology, has elucidated a role for FKBP5 in the phenomena of fear extinction, in which animals disassociate with fearful memories of a traumatic experience. It is thought that deficits in fear extinction learning might be an underlying cause of PTSD. The researchers...