Of the 55 DEX induced downregulated GR-related genes, a greater decrease was observed for PTSD- compared to PTSD+ participants at the lowest treatment dose (2.5 nM of DEX) (p = 4.3 × 10−7) (Fig. 4d), particularly for glucocorticoid receptor NR3C1, IFN-γ, IL4, IRF1, transcription factor JUN and others (Fig. 4g). Here, IRF1 is linked to post-traumatic stress disorder.