Association between serum levels of C-reactive protein and personality traits in women

Susanne Henningsson,Mikael Landén,Göran Holm,Fariba Baghaei,Agneta Ekman,Henrik Anckarsäter,Roland Rosmond

doi:10.1186/1744-9081-4-16

Abstract

BackgroundWhile low-grade inflammation has consistently been observed in subjects with depression, studies on the possible relationship between inflammation and other aspects of brain function are as yet sparse. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible association between serum levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP) and personality traits.MethodsIn this study, serum levels of high-sensitivity CRP were determined by ELISA in a population of 270 42-year-old women recruited from the population registry who had been assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory. Self-reported previous or ongoing depression was also recorded. Unpaired two-tailed t-tests were used for comparison between two groups and correlations were evaluated by the calculation of Pearson's r-coefficient.ResultsThe temperament trait harm avoidance was positively (r = 0.227, p < 0.05) and the character trait self-directedness was negatively (r = -0.261, p < 0.01) associated with serum levels of CRP (p-values corrected for multiple comparisons). The correlations between the personality traits and CRP were observed also after exclusion of subjects reporting ongoing depression (n = 26). Whereas women reporting ongoing depression showed significantly increased levels of CRP as compared to non-depressed women (n = 155), women reporting a history of depression displayed no significant difference in CRP levels as compared to women that reported that they had never been depressed.ConclusionSerum levels of CRP in women was found to be associated with the personality traits harm avoidance and self-directedness. In addition, moderately elevated levels may be a state dependent marker of depression.

Highlights

While low-grade inflammation has consistently been observed in subjects with depression, studies on the possible relationship between inflammation and other aspects of brain function are as yet sparse
The finding that depression is often associated with such an increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) – that has been corroborated in several studies [1,2,3,4] – is an observation of considerable importance, as is the recent finding that a similar aberration may be observed in subjects with panic disorder [5]
The mean serum levels of CRP in the women included in the analysis of personality traits (n = 168) was 1.17 ± 1.19 mg/L

Summary

Introduction

While low-grade inflammation has consistently been observed in subjects with depression, studies on the possible relationship between inflammation and other aspects of brain function are as yet sparse. The finding that depression is often associated with such an increase in CRP – that has been corroborated in several studies [1,2,3,4] – is an observation of considerable importance, as is the recent finding that a similar aberration may be observed in subjects with panic disorder [5] If this association between CRP and psychiatric morbidity is a consequence of depression and anxiety influencing the immune system, or if low-grade inflammation may contribute to the development of depression or panic disorder, is as yet unknown. To cast further light on why CRP is associated with depression and anxiety, and to explore the possible relationship between this marker of low-grade inflammation and other aspects of behavior, including personality traits, are important tasks. The observations that enhanced CRP is an important risk factor for coronary disease [15,16,17,18,19,20,21], and that CRP promote atherosclerotic processes and endothelial cell inflammation [22,23], make it tempting to suggest that low-grade inflammation may be a factor of importance for the association between depression/anxiety and cardiovascular disease

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