Resting mononuclear cell NR3C1 and SKA2 expression levels predict blunted cortisol reactivity to combat training stress among elite army cadets exposed to childhood adversity

• Published in: Molecular psychiatry Vol. 26; no. 11; pp. 6680 - 6687
• Main Authors: Kalla, Carmel, Goltser-Dubner, Tanya, Pevzner, Dalya, Canetti, Laura, Mirman, Aron, Ben-Yehuda, Ariel, Itzhar, Noa, Benarroch, Fortu, Shalev, Amit, Giesser, Ruth, Fruchter, Eyal, Vashdi, Inon, Oz, Osnat, Haber, Roni, Saloner, Chen, Lotan, Amit, Galili-Weisstub, Esti, Bonne, Omer, Segman, Ronen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.11.2021; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13/106; 13/21; 38; 38/22; 38/77; 38/90; 631/337; 692/53/2421; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adverse Childhood Experiences; Behavioral Sciences; Biological Psychology; Children; Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone - metabolism; Gene expression; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Hydrocortisone - metabolism; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Military Personnel; Morbidity; Neurosciences; Pharmacotherapy; Psychiatric research; Psychiatry; Psychological aspects; Receptors, Glucocorticoid - genetics; Receptors, Glucocorticoid - metabolism; Stress (Psychology); Stress, Psychological - metabolism; Teenagers; Training; Youth; Israel
• ISSN: 1359-4184; 1476-5578
• DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01107-z

Childhood adversity (CA) may alter reactivity to stress throughout life, increasing risk for psychiatric and medical morbidity, yet long-term correlates of milder CA levels among high functioning healthy adolescents are less studied. The current study examined the prevalence and impact of CA exposure among a cohort of healthy motivated elite parachute unit volunteers, prospectively assessed at rest and at the height of an intensive combat-simulation exposure. We found significantly reduced gene expression levels in resting mononuclear cell nuclear receptor, subfamily 3, member 1 ( NR3C1), and its transactivator spindle and kinetochore-associated protein 2 ( SKA2) , that predict blunted cortisol reactivity to combat-simulation stress among CA exposed adolescents. Long-term alterations in endocrine immune indices, subjective distress, and executive functions persist among healthy high functioning adolescents following milder CA exposure, and may promote resilience or vulnerability to later real-life combat exposure.