Stress and the heart
Experimental rats with PTSD have increased the risk of heart disease
Scientists of South Ural University, Research Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Research Institute of Human Morphology, Vitebsk State Medical University, Chelyabinsk State University, Institute of Immunology and Psychology (Yekaterinburg), South Ural State Agrarian University and The University of North Texas Health Science Center studied rats with experimental PTSD and proved that this type of anxiety disorder leads to an increased risk of cardiac disorders – previously their relationship has not been scientifically confirmed. The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RNF). The results are published in the Journal of Applied Physiology (Manukhina et al., Sardiac injury in rats with experimental posttraumatic stress disorder (ePTSD) and mechanisms of its limitation in ePTSD-resistant rats), the RNF press release briefly describes them.
People who have experienced a terrible event and a real threat to life develop traumatic stress (or traumatic depression), which can lead to the appearance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – severe type of anxiety disorder. Not everyone has PTSD: rather, the norm is a rapid recovery of the psyche. The development of the disorder is influenced by many factors, including trauma experienced in childhood, or lack of public support. PTSD is associated with cardiovascular diseases and the risk of sudden death from heart disorders, but this link has not yet been scientifically substantiated. Recently, scientists have identified this connection in rats.
For the experiment, the authors formed two groups of 155 rats: control (53) and threatened (102). The conditions in which there is a threat to animals, scientists modeled using the smell of cat urine, which the animals felt for 10 days. 14 days after the experiment, the rats were tested in mazes, and exercise tolerance, ECG, myocardial histomorphology and other indicators were also checked.
As a result, the second group was divided into two, that is, into PTSD-prone rats and disorder-resistant animals. Experimental stress disorder developed in 40% of rats that smelled a predator: their indicators in all parameters were significantly lower than in the control group and in animals not affected by PTSD. In addition, in the latter group, inflammation decreased over time, the course of oxidative stress (that is, the destruction of cells due to their oxidation) came to naught, and much more protective protein HSP70 began to be produced. Consequently, they recovered from the cat urine experiment. Rats with post-traumatic stress disorder developed multiple signs of heart damage.
"Thus, we have proved that PTSD really leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Now new tasks are emerging: it has become clear that, in addition to psychological assistance, people with PTSD will also need supportive cardiotherapy," sums up the project manager, Professor Vadim Tseilikman, director of the Higher Medical and Biological School of South Ural State University.
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