Development Of Depression In Adulthood Research Articles

Effects of Early Adverse Life Events on Depression and Cognitive Performance from the Perspective of the Heart-Brain Axis.

Early adverse life events (EALs) increase susceptibility to depression and impair cognitive performance, but the physiological mechanisms are still unclear. The target of this article is to clarify the impact of adverse childhood experiences on emotional and cognitive performance from the perspective of the heart-brain axis. We used the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) to test cognitive function and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to assess adverse childhood experiences. Heart rate variability (HRV) and electroencephalograms (EEG) were acquired at rest. We observed that subjects with depression had experienced more traumatic events during their childhood. Furthermore, they exhibited lower heart rate variability and higher power in the delta, theta, and alpha frequency bands. Moreover, heart rate variability partially mediated the association between childhood trauma exposure and depressive symptoms. Our findings suggested that adverse life events in childhood could influence the development of depression in adulthood, which might be linked to cardiac autonomic dysfunction and altered brain function.

In vivo serotonin 1A receptor hippocampal binding potential in depression and reported childhood adversity.

Reported childhood adversity (CA) is associated with development of depression in adulthood and predicts a more severe course of illness. Although elevated serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1AR) binding potential, especially in the raphe nuclei, has been shown to be a trait associated with major depression, we did not replicate this finding in an independent sample using the partial agonist positron emission tomography tracer [11C]CUMI-101. Evidence suggests that CA can induce long-lasting changes in expression of 5-HT1AR, and thus, a history of CA may explain the disparate findings. Following up on our initial report, 28 unmedicated participants in a current depressive episode (bipolar n=16, unipolar n=12) and 19 non-depressed healthy volunteers (HVs) underwent [11C]CUMI-101 imaging to quantify 5-HT1AR binding potential. Participants in a depressive episode were stratified into mild/moderate and severe CA groups via the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. We hypothesized higher hippocampal and raphe nuclei 5-HT1AR with severe CA compared with mild/moderate CA and HVs. There was a group-by-region effect (p=0.011) when considering HV, depressive episode mild/moderate CA, and depressive episode severe CA groups, driven by significantly higher hippocampal 5-HT1AR binding potential in participants in a depressive episode with severe CA relative to HVs (p=0.019). Contrary to our hypothesis, no significant binding potential differences were detected in the raphe nuclei (p-values>0.05). With replication in larger samples, elevated hippocampal 5-HT1AR binding potential may serve as a promising biomarker through which to investigate the neurobiological link between CA and depression.

Resilience, trauma, and hopelessness: protective or triggering factor for the development of psychopathology among migrants?

BackgroundRecently, many studies have investigated the role of migration on mental health. Nonetheless, only few focused on the consequences of childhood trauma, hopelessness, and resilience on migrants’ psychopathology, including psychiatric disorders and symptoms.Method119 migrants were recruited between May 2017 and April 2018, among those applying for assessment to the Mental Health Operational Unit of the National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (NIHMP) in Rome, Italy. Assessment included the following: Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Beck’s Suicide Intent Scale (SIS), Brief Aggression Questionnaire (BAQ), Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory (DSHI).Results53.39% of migrants scored above the PCL-5 cut-off score (mean score was 39.45). SDS scores below the cutoff suggested the presence of depression in 42.37%, while According to SAS scores anxiety levels were low in 38.98% of migrants. During childhood, physical abuse and neglect were reported respectively by 56.78 and 69.49% of migrants.ConclusionWe found that Post Traumatic Stress Disorders play the role of mediators for the relation between the childhood traumatic experiences and aggressiveness, anxious and depressive symptomatology, while hopelessness is a mediator between the childhood traumatic experiences and the development of depression in adulthood. Hopelessness seems to influence the strength of the relation between childhood traumatic experiences and the individual’s current intensity of suicidal attitudes, plans, and behaviors. Further developments and future perspectives of the research project are to address key gaps in the field of resilience by means of a longitudinal evaluation study in migrants, including a native population control group, acceding to NIHMP.

Violent Victimization, Stressful Events, and Depression: A Longitudinal Study of Young Adults in the U.S.

We surveyed a sample of young adults in the United States to determine (1) whether/how depression is affected by violent victimization during childhood and/or by recent stressful events, as well as (2) whether any observed links between depression and violent victimization and/or stressful events would be uniform across racial/ethnic groups. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort, we measured respondent depression in 5 interview waves dating 2004-2015. Our final sample for analysis numbered 22,549 person-waves. Our study showed that violent victimization in childhood, and recent stressful events, as well, alike exacerbated depression. Moreover, as we analyzed, in turn, the data for each ethnic subsample, we observed differential patterns in depression's associations with victimization. Childhood violent victimization-and also recently encountered stress-has a significant role in the development of depression in adulthood; this role appears to be moderated by race/ethnicity.

TACKLING MENTAL HEALTH IN SAUDI ARABIA IN THE LIGHT OF CONSIDERATION OF THE LIFE COURSE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ISSUES

Mental health disorders have started to increasingly become a public concern with more resources and efforts are being put to promote awareness and fight stigmas associated with it. Depression represents one of the most common mental health disorders with a great economic and social burden both globally and in Saudi Arabia. This study focuses on addressing depression in Saudi Arabia. The epidemiology of depression in Saudi Arabia is described using Bellingham-Young basic principles model, describing the issue from the perspectives of who; when; where; what and why. The causes of depression among patients in Saudi Arabia is described in this study, mainly in relation to chronic diseases, age and gender. Next, several approaches are suggested to tackle depression among its patients in Saudi Arabia. These approaches are described according to Ritsatakis and Jarvisalo variation of the established Dahlgren and Whitehead stages model. Lastly, depression is discussed in the light of consideration of the life course epidemiological issues and how life events may affect the development of depression in adulthood. KEYWORDS: Depression – Life Course Issues - Mental Health – Tackling Approaches - Saudi Arabia

Neonatal Immune Activation May Provoke Long-term Depressive Attributes.

Studies have shown the relationship between neuroinflammation and depressive- like parameters. However, research still has not been carried out to evaluate neuroinflammation in the neonatal period and psychiatric disorders in adulthood. To verify the association between neonatal immune activation and depressive-like parameters in adulthood using an animal model. Two days old C57BL/6 animals were exposed to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or phosphate- buffered saline (PBS). When the animals were 46 days old, they received PBS or Imipramine at 14 days. At 60 days, the consumption of sucrose; immobility time; adrenal gland and the hippocampus weight; levels of plasma corticosterone and hippocampal Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were evaluated. It was observed that the animals exposed to LPS in the neonatal period and evaluated in adulthood decreased the consumption of sucrose and had reducted hippocampus weight. Also, the exposed animals presented an increase of immobility time, adrenal gland weight and plasma levels of corticosteroids. The use of imipramine did not only modify the decreased hippocampal weight. On the other hand, there were no alterations in the BDNF levels in the hippocampus with or without the use of imipramine. These results suggest that neonatal immune activation may be associated with depressive- like parameters in adulthood. It is believed that endotoxemia may trigger physiological and behavioral alterations, increasing vulnerability for the development of depression in adulthood.

Associations between childhood maltreatment and adult depression: a mediation analysis

BackgroundThere is ample evidence showing that childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for the development of depression in adulthood. However, little is known about the psychological processes mediating this relationship. This study used a large community sample to investigate the mediating role of emotional, cognitive and/or interpersonal dysfunctions on the one hand and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms on the other hand.MethodsOne thousand twenty seven participants of a community sample filled out an online survey. Mediation analyses were computed via linear structural equation modelling.ResultsResults showed a significant mediation of the association between CM and adult depression via emotional impairments, depressogenic attribution style and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Our study design was cross-sectional and therefore did not allow testing temporal precedence of mediators and causality. Data was collected retrospectively, a confounding effect of current depressive symptoms on retrospective recall of CM therefore cannot be ruled out.ConclusionsThe a priori mediation model showed a good fit with the data. The model suggests promising objectives for further research on CM-related depression and potential treatment targets in the future.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of chronic antidepressant drug treatments in the hippocampal mitochondria – A proteomic study in an animal model of depression

Several lines of evidence indicate that adverse experience in early life may be a triggering factor for disturbances in the brain mitochondrial proteins and lead to the development of depression in adulthood. On the other hand, little is known about the impact of chronic administration of various antidepressant drugs on the brain mitochondria, as a target for the pharmacotherapy of depression.The purpose of our study was to compare the impact of chronic treatment with two antidepressant drugs with different mechanisms of action, a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), imipramine, and an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class, fluoxetine, on the mitochondria-enriched subproteome profile in the hippocampus of 3-month-old male rats following a prenatal stress procedure (an animal model of depression).We clearly confirmed that chronic imipramine and fluoxetine administration not only normalized depression-like disturbances evoked by the prenatal stress procedure but also modulated the mitochondria-enriched subproteome profile in the hippocampus of adult offspring rats. In line with this, two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry showed a statistically significant down-regulation of 14-3-3 and cytochrome bc1 proteins and an up-regulation of COP9 signalosome expression after chronic imipramine treatment in the hippocampus of prenatally stressed offspring. Fluoxetine administration strongly up-regulated the expression of cathepsin D, one of the key proteins involved in the prevention of the development of neurodegenerative processes. Furthermore, this antidepressant treatment enhanced expression of proteins engaged in the improvement of learning and memory processes (STMN1, Dnm-1) as well as in mitochondrial biogenesis and defense against oxidative stress (DJ-1).These findings provide new evidence that chronic administration of antidepressants exerts a varied impact on the mitochondria-enriched subproteome in the hippocampus of adult rats following a prenatal stress procedure. In particular, the effect of fluoxetine requires additional experiments to elucidate the possible beneficial biological consequences underlying the effects mediated by this antidepressant.

Recent and childhood adversities in patients with depressive disorders

Background A strong association is believed to exist between stressful life events and development of depressive disorders. Childhood adverse experiences contribute to a person’s vulnerability to such disorders. The complex interplay between these variables needs further investigation. Objectives The objective of the present study was to clarify the impact of child abuse and recent stressful life events on patients with depressive disorders. Patients and methods A total of 75 patients with depressive disorders not having a comorbid mental illness were studied using the Social Readjustment Rating Scale of Holmes and Rahe and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Results The mean age of our patients was 34.96±12.32 years, 69.3% of them were females, and the duration of illness ranged from 2 to 288 weeks with a mean of 30.94±54.61; 36% of the sample had severe depression. There was a statistically significant relationship between urban residence and magnitude of stress (P=0.049); married patients suffered less severe depression compared with unmarried ones (P=0.02). A positive and significant correlation was found between magnitude of stress and severity of depression (P≤0.001). Duration of depressive illness was positively and significantly correlated with the raw score of Social Readjustment Rating Scale and with the severity of emotional neglect as measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (P=0.02 and 0.04, respectively). Conclusion The development of depression in adulthood is significantly associated with past exposure to child abuse and stressful life events. Childhood history of emotional neglect and magnitude of preonset stress may be contributing factors to the duration of depressive illness.

Recent and childhood adversities in patients with depressive disorders

IntroductionA strong association is believed to exist between stressful life events and the development of depressive disorders. Childhood adverse experiences contribute to person's vulnerability to such disorders.ObjectiveThe study of the complex interplay between child abuse, stressful life events and the development of depression.AimsTo study the effect of type and severity of child abuse and magnitude of pre-onset stress on the severity and duration of adulthood depression.MethodsSeventy-five patients with depressive disorders not having a comorbid mental illness were studied using Social Readjustment Rating scale (SRRS) and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ).ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 34.96 ± 12.32 years, 69.3% of patients were females, duration of the illness ranged from 2–288 weeks with a mean of 30.94 ± 54.61 and 36% of the sample had severe depression. There was a statistically significant relationship between urban residence and magnitude of stress (P = 0.049), married patients suffered less severe depression than unmarried ones (P = 0.02) and a positive and significant correlation was found between magnitude of stress and severity of depression (P ≤ 0.001).Duration of depressive illness was positively and significantly correlated to the raw score of SRRS and to the severity of emotional neglect as measured by CTQ (P = 0.02 and 0.04 respectively).ConclusionsThe development of depression in adulthood is significantly associated with past exposure to child abuse and stressful life events. Childhood history of emotional neglect and magnitude of pre-onset stress may be contributing factors to duration of depressive illness.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Depression: reduced number of granule cells in the hippocampus of female, but not male, rats due to prenatal restraint stress.

It has been hypothesized that decreased neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus may be involved in mediating depressive disorders, which are 1.5-3 times more frequent in women than in men. Additionally, prenatal stress may increase the risk of developing depression in adulthood. However, the interrelations between prenatal stress and the development of depression in adulthood, preferentially in females, are not understood. Here, we subjected pregnant rats to a single 20-min period of restraint stress on day 18 after mating. When the offspring were 75 days of age, the numbers of granule cells and pyramidal cells (area CA1-3) in the hippocampus were analyzed with the optical fractionator. The Cavalieri's principle was applied to analyze the volumes of both granule cell layer and pyramidal cell layer in the hippocampus. Prenatally stressed females, but not males, had reduced numbers of hippocampal granule cells compared to their non-prenatally stressed counterparts. This is the first report of a sex-specific difference concerning the reduction of the number of hippocampal granule cells due to prenatal stress. In humans, prenatal stress may induce cell loss in the granule cells of the hippocampus preferentially in females compared to males, and this may be a sex-specific predisposing factor for the development of depression in adulthood.

Parental bonding and personality in relation to a lifetime history of depression.

This study explores whether personality is mediating the effects of adverse parenting on having had a lifetime history of major depressive disorder and whether personality dimensions, related to the development of lifetime depression, are disposed by adverse parenting in cross-sectional data derived from an epidemiological sample of volunteer workers. Of 447 individuals who were asked to complete the Munich Personality Test (MPT), the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Inventory to Diagnose Depression Lifetime version (IDDL), 322 subjects were included in the analyses (150 male and 172 female; and 38 were diagnosed as having had a history of depression). Comparisons in fit between logistic regression models revealed that a combination of frustration tolerance and rigidity among personality dimensions, as measured by the MPT, and maternal care among the PBI scales were most primary in predicting a lifetime history of depression. Maternal care was, however, not significantly predictive of dimensional scores on the personality dimensions. Neither frustration tolerance nor rigidity was predicted by any PBI scale. When entering the variables sequentially, maternal care and the personality variables were additive and independent risk factors in predicting a lifetime history of depression. The results of this preliminary study raised an objection to a hypothesis that adverse parenting experienced in childhood disposes one to a dysfunctional personality, which then predisposes one to the development of depression in adulthood.

Perceived parenting pattern and response to antidepressants in patients with major depression

Background: No systematic study has been conducted to explore the relationship of dysfunctional parenting early in life, as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), to outcomes of depression, although a number of studies have related parenting behaviors to the development of depression in adulthood. Methods: The relationship between PBI scores and 4-month outcomes after treatment with antidepressants was explored in 60 outpatients with major depression, controlling for potentially confounding factors. Results: A multiple logistic regression analysis suggested that low levels of paternal care, unmarried condition, non-melancholic features, and a high isolation tendency were all factors that contributed to poor outcomes for depression. The predictive power of low paternal care was not influenced by levels of depression or neuroticism. Limitation: This study did not attempt to explore whether the effects of parenting of father and mother on outcomes for depression may differ between male and female subjects. Conclusion: The results suggest that low levels of paternal care may be an independent predictor of a poor response to treatment with adequate antidepressants.