# Extracellular vesicles as biomarkers of trauma exposure and PTSD risk

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2024 · $51,045

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Childhood trauma, particularly interpersonal violence (IPV) exposure, is widespread and associated with long-
term negative health outcomes, including increased risk for neuropsychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) and mood disorders. Physiological responses to stress, if chronic or severe enough
and especially those occurring during vulnerable life periods such as adolescence, can promote lasting
systemic changes and may contribute to health inequities seen in vulnerable populations. Exposure to trauma
prior to age 14 has differential effects compared to exposure later in adolescence, but little is known about the
biological mechanisms that underlie differential effects of trauma timing. A key biological marker that holds
potential in human subject studies is the extracellular vesicle (EV). Changes in EV size and protein content are
responsive to stress, can be easily assayed, and are predictive of functionality and tissue specificity important
for health and disease. We recently identified a unique protein signature in blood plasma from an unbiased EV
proteomic analysis in Black women who had experienced IPV during adolescence (14-18 years of age). This
diversity supplement will examine dynamic changes in EV characteristics associated with fear conditioning and
relate those changes to the developmental timing of IPV exposure (i.e. childhood vs. adolescence) utilizing a
longitudinal birth cohort of Black Americans who grew up in an under-resourced urban environment. We will
determine whether dynamic changes in EV characteristics quantified before and after fear conditioning differ
based on developmental timing of interpersonal violence by comparing participants who experienced IPV
before age 14, between ages 14-18, or did not experience IPV trauma. We will also examine whether
individual differences in EV characteristics quantified before and after fear conditioning correlate with individual
differences in fear-potentiated startle. This project will contribute to understanding EV’s potential as biomarkers
for systemic impacts of interpersonal violence experienced during vulnerable time periods and provide vital
information to elucidate potential novel targets for identification of and early intervention for individuals at risk of
stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11013708
- **Project number:** 3R01MH129495-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Tracy L Bale
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $51,045
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2024-03-01 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11013708

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11013708, Extracellular vesicles as biomarkers of trauma exposure and PTSD risk (3R01MH129495-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11013708. Licensed CC0.

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