A new analysis of blood samples from patients with posttraumatic stress disorder reveals that the condition may be driven by fundamentally different biological mechanisms in men compared to women. Researchers found that men with the disorder primarily exhibit deficits in specific stress-regulating lipids, whereas women exhibit heightened signs of systemic inflammation. These results were published in the journal Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric condition that develops in some individuals following exposure to severe or life-threatening events. It is well established that the disorder does not affect the population uniformly. Women are diagnosed with the condition at nearly twice the rate of men. Women also tend to suffer from longer-lasting symptoms and have higher rates of co-occurring health issues, such as autoimmune diseases. Despite these clear disparities, the biological reasons for this gender gap have remained elusive. Medical researchers have historically focused on two specific internal networks when studying the effects of trauma. The first is the endocannabinoid system. This network functions as a physiological buffer against …