Transcriptomic insights into the co-occurring psychological symptoms and cardiovascular risks among military service members and veterans with mild traumatic brain injury: A LIMBIC-CENC study

Service members and veterans (SMVs) are at higher risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), which are detrimental to cardiovascular health (CVH) and brain health. This study aimed to identify gene expression signatures in SMVs associated with the co-occurrence of psychological symptoms, specifically PTSD/MDD, and cardiovascular risk factors, while exploring shared biological pathways that may link these conditions to broader heart and brain health. This study used baseline data from the Long-term Impact of Military-related Brain Injury Consortium-Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC) study. Participants aged>20 with a mild traumatic brain injury history but no prior cardiovascular disease diagnosis were included. Gene expressions were compared between individuals with PTSD and/or MDD with poor CVH (combined case), and those without PTSD/MDD and a high resilience score, with good CVH (healthy comparison). Total RNA-sequencing of peripheral whole blood was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). DEGs with FDR-adjusted p-value