P.1.011 Identifying transcriptomic biomarkers for response to escitalopram in the inflammatory cytokine pathway

increased levels of IgG in the shocked animals (Student’s t-test: t = 2.453, df = 20, p = 0.023). This supported our previous findings and strengthens the hypothesis of IgG as a biomarker of stress. Next, we wanted to know if pharmacological treatment of traumatized mice also affects IgG levels. Preliminary data, obtained by treating traumatized and control mice with the mood stabilizer valproic acid, indicate that the stress associated increase in IgG is diminished in treated mice. In conclusion, in this study we detected increased IgG expression in stressed animals. This might indicate a possible unspecific immune activation, which is in agreement with findings of other studies analyzing inflammatory parameters in PTSD [3]. Interestingly, IgG levels were restored by pharmacological treatment. Altogether, these results lead us to propose IgG as a novel potential biomarker for traumatic stress: IgG levels are measurable in the blood and thus are easily applicable in the clinical practice.