A new study involving more than 1,500 Marines may have revealed a risk factor for PTSD.
UC San Diego researchers examined Marines both one to two months before deployment and again four to six months after their return.
Researchers focused on their heart rate variability, or HRV. That’s a measure of the time interval between heartbeats. It’s also a gauge of the body’s stress response system.
The study revealed that only 3.7 percent of Marines with normal HRV before deployment developed PTSD. In contrast, nearly 16 percent of Marines with low HRV developed the disorder.
Lead researcher and UC San Diego clinical professor of psychiatry Arpi Minassian said her study does not establish a cause and effect relationship.
“What it’s more likely to suggest, is that low heart rate variability is some kind of a signal that something is not working right in the body’s stress response system," Minassian explained.
Minassian said more research is needed to explore the relationship between HRV and PTSD.
