Psychobiology of the acute stress response and its relationship to the psychobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder

There are no longitudinal studies that examine biological preexisting traits/vulnerabilities in relation to the subsequent development of PTSD. This would require assessment of relevant variables prior to the experience of trauma. In the interim, a few studies of the acute response to trauma provide the best data about biological predictors of chronic illness. Relatively lower baseline cortisol after acute trauma is associated with the development of PTSD. The determinants of this finding are entirely unclear, but may be associated with traumatic experiences during critical periods of development, genetic factors, pre-existing conditions, and cortical/subcortical. networks that reflect life experience and its influence on meaningful appraisal of the trauma.