The Search for Objective Signals in PTSD

Reviewed by Marc Ó Gríofa, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, Neurova Labs

Also on September 15, researchers at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda published a discovery study in Frontiers in Psychiatry that looks at the blood of service members with chronic PTSD symptoms.

The team analyzed samples from 208 U.S. service members and found 366 proteins that differed significantly between those with and without PTSD symptoms. Pathways tied to extracellular matrix organization and vascular endothelial growth factor signaling were lower in the PTSD group, which the authors discuss in terms of vascular and immune function. They describe the results as preliminary candidates that need validation in larger studies before any clinical use.

Why do objective signals matter in PTSD research?

Reliable objective signals would give researchers and clinicians a second line of evidence to sit beside what a service member reports. Most of what we know about how someone is doing after trauma comes from what they tell us. Self-report is valuable and always will be. It also has limits. People underreport when they worry about their careers, and answers shift from one day to the next.

That is why NICoE's work matters. The authors are right to call these early findings. Discovery studies like this are how a field finds the candidates worth testing.

How does Neurova Labs approach measurement?

Neurova Labs built measurement into Neurova Academy from the start. The program's design is informed by fNIRS imaging. For organizations that want a physiological data point, we offer an optional RNA gene expression panel from whole blood, run through iXpressGenes, a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory partner. It is a different method from the protein analysis in the NICoE study, and we see the two lines of research as complementary.

Our own data show why pairing the two matters. In the 2026 community cohort studies with the YMCA of Orange County, participants completed the PCL-5 and the Kessler-6 at Day 1 and Day 30, with blood drawn at Day 1, Day 5, and Day 30. Trauma symptom scores improved 28 percent (29.1 to 21.0) and psychological distress improved 24 percent (14.0 to 10.6), each at p < 0.001. Sleep quality improved 22 percent.

On the biological side, a 2026 Neurova Labs cohort of 103 members, measured as RNA gene expression in whole blood at Day 1, Day 5, and Day 30, showed the largest changes among those who entered with the highest inflammatory burden. For the top 25 percent at Day 1 (26 members), the Global Inflammation Score fell 48 percent by Day 30, with 23 of 26 improving, and the protocol group fared 12 points better than 10 untreated controls after adjusting for starting level.

We describe these as observational findings, and a controlled validation study is underway. That discipline matters in a field where trust is hard to earn.

What does Neurova Labs want for the people it serves?

We want a future where a service member, a firefighter, or a Y member can train their brain and see objective signs of how they are responding. Our mission is to make brain training accessible and affordable for the people who need it most, and to hold ourselves to the evidence along the way. NICoE's work moves that future closer, and we are grateful to the researchers doing it.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 and press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.

To bring Neurova Academy to your unit, clinic, or community, visit neurovalabs.com.

About Neurova Labs

Neurova Labs is a veteran-led neurotechnology company based in Salt Lake City. Its program, Neurova Academy, is a facilitator-led neuro-immersive brain training program designed to support focus, stress regulation, and mental endurance, with no clinical infrastructure required. Programs can add an optional 22-marker panel measuring RNA gene expression from whole blood, processed by iXpressGenes, a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory. Neurova Labs works with military units, first responder agencies, clinics, and community organizations. Learn more at neurovalabs.com.

Neurova Academy is a general wellness and cognitive training program. It is not a medical device and is not offered to diagnose, treat, cure, or mitigate any disease or condition, including concussion, traumatic brain injury, or CTE. References to news reporting, government publications, and published research are for commentary only and do not imply endorsement of Neurova Labs by any federal entity or research institution.