Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-11-2025
Publisher
Springer
Source Publication
Psychopharmacology
Source ISSN
0033-3158
Original Item ID
DOI: 10.1007/s00213-025-06837-4
Abstract
Rationale
Traumatically injured individuals can develop chronic negative psychological sequelae. Improved understanding of contributing, peri-traumatic risk factors is essential to reduce the risk of these consequences. Previous studies have found that peri-traumatic, circulating endocannabinoid concentrations are positively associated with development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain and depression months later, particularly in members of racial/ethnic groups that have been historically marginalized.
Objectives
This replication study examined relationships among peri-trauma serum endocannabinoid concentrations and long-term consequences in a cohort comprised primarily of individuals from marginalized racial and ethnic groups.
Methods
Participants (n = 100; 81% from marginalized racial and ethnic groups) were traumatically injured adults presenting to the ED of an urban tertiary care hospital. Endocannabinoids N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) were measured in serum collected within days (peri-trauma) and 6–10 months following injury (follow-up). Assessments, including PTSD, depression, pain and quality of life were completed. Statistical approaches, including multivariate, hierarchical regressions, were used to determine associations among serum endocannabinoid concentrations and long-term outcomes.
Results
Although it did not survive correction for multiple comparisons, peri-trauma serum 2-AG concentrations. Peri-trauma serum 2-AG concentrations were also positively associated with PTSD, pain severity, and functional engagement scores at follow-up. There were no significant associations between circulating 2-AG or AEA and depression.
Conclusions
These findings generally replicate earlier studies demonstrating that serum 2-AG concentrations are biomarkers of risk for PTSD and pain and uncover an additional association with poor functional quality of life. Further studies are needed to determine the underlying mechanisms of these relationships.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Albertina, Emily A.; Tomas, Carissa W.; Geier, Timothy J.; Timmer-Murillo, Sydney C.; Pina, Isela G.; Jazinski-Chambers, Kelley; Sauber, Garrett; Fitzgerald, Jacklynn M.; Larson, Christine L.; deRoon-Cassini, Terri A.; and Hillard, Cecilia J., "Relationships Among Peri-Traumatic Circulating Endocannabinoids and Long-Term, Negative Outcomes Following Traumatic Injury" (2025). Psychology Faculty Research and Publications. 637.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/psych_fac/637
Comments
Published version. Psychopharmacology, (July 11, 2025). DOI. © The Author(s). Used with permission.
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.