Risk For Unipolar Depression Research Articles

Polygenic risk score models based on anxiety-related traits as endophenotypes to predict unipolar depression and suicidal behavior

The present study included the construction of polygenic risk score (PRS) models of individual differences in anxiety level, which increased values represent the endophenotype of depression and suicidal behavior, to predict these psychopathologies based on genotyping of 63 SNPs of serotoninergic, hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal and neurotrophic factors systems together with the relative leukocyte telomere length. According to logistic regression analysis, PRS models of individual differences in Neuroticism (EPI) level (P<0,2) predicted decreased risk of unipolar depression (P0.2=0,033, β=-5,24, r2=0,78) in women, which points to the necessity to consider sex during polygenic risk score analysis.

Higher risk of developing major depression and bipolar disorder in later life among adolescents with asthma: A nationwide prospective study

ObjectivePrevious studies have suggested an immunological dysfunction in mood disorders, but rarely have investigated the temporal association between allergic diseases and mood disorders. Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we attempted to investigate the association between asthma in early adolescence and the risk of unipolar depression and bipolar disorder in later life. MethodsIn all, 1453 adolescents with asthma aged between 10 and 15 years and 5812 age-/gender-matched controls were selected in 1998–2000. Subjects with unipolar depression and bipolar disorder that occurred up to the end of follow-up (December 31 2010) were identified. ResultsAdolescents with asthma had a higher incidence of major depression (2.8% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.001), any depressive disorder (6.1% vs. 2.6%, p < 0.001), and bipolar disorder (1.0% vs. 0.3%, p < 0.001) than the control group. Cox regression analysis showed that asthma in early adolescence was associated with an increased risk of developing major depression (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14–2.89), any depressive disorder (HR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.27–2.37), and bipolar disorder (HR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.01–5.07), after adjusting for demographic data and comorbid allergic diseases. DiscussionAdolescents with asthma had an elevated risk of developing mood disorders in later life. Further studies would be required to investigate the underlying mechanisms for this comorbid association and elucidate whether prompt intervention for asthma would decrease the risk of developing mood disorders.

Diet and the risk of unipolar depression in adults: systematic review of cohort studies

Nutrition may be a risk factor for unipolar depression. We aimed to review the association between dietary variables and the risk of depression. Fifteen databases were searched up to May 2010. Only longitudinal studies for which outcomes were unipolar depression and/or depressive symptoms in adults were eligible for inclusion. Eleven studies were included and critically evaluated. Participants were in the age range 18-97 years and the study sample size was in the range 526-27 111. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 13 years. The diversity of dietary variables and nonlinear associations precluded formal meta-analysis and so a narrative analysis was undertaken. Variables inversely associated with depression risk were the consumption of nutrients such as folate, omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids; foods such as olive oil and fish; and a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. Some of these associations varied by sex and some showed a nonlinear association. At the study level, weaknesses in the assessment of exposure and outcome may have introduced bias. Most studies investigated a cohort subgroup that may have resulted in selection bias. At the review level, there is a risk of publication bias and, in addition, narrative analyses are more prone to subjectivities than meta-analyses. Diet may potentially influence the risk of depression, although the evidence is not yet conclusive. Strengthening healthy-eating patterns at the public health level may have a potential benefit. Robust prospective cohort studies specially designed to study the association between diet and depression risk are needed.

Sleep patterns and the risk for unipolar depression: a review

Psychological disorders, particularly mood disorders, such as unipolar depression, are often accompanied by comorbid sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, restless sleep, and restricted sleep duration. The nature of the relationship between unipolar depression and these sleep disturbances remains unclear, as sleep disturbance may be a risk factor for development, an initial manifestation of the disorder, or a comorbid condition affected by similar mechanisms. Various studies have examined the impact of sleep deprivation on the presence of (or exacerbation of) depressive symptoms, and have examined longitudinal and concurrent associations between different sleep disturbances and unipolar depression. This review examines the evidence for sleep disturbances as a risk factor for the development and presence of depression, as well as examining common underlying mechanisms. Clinical implications pertaining to the comorbid nature of various sleep patterns and depression are considered.

Personality disorder traits associated with risk for unipolar depression during middle adulthood

Data from the Children in the Community Study, a prospective longitudinal investigation, were used to investigate the association of personality disorder (PD) traits, evident by early adulthood, with risk for the development of unipolar depressive disorders by middle adulthood. Antisocial, borderline, dependent, depressive, histrionic, and schizotypal PD traits, identified between ages 14 and 22, were significantly associated with risk for dysthymic disorder (DD) or major depressive disorder (MDD) by a mean age of 33 after a history of unipolar depression and other psychiatric disorder was controlled statistically. Individuals without a history of unipolar depression who met diagnostic criteria for ≥ 1 PD by a mean age of 22 were at elevated risk for DD or MDD by a mean age of 33 years. Individuals identified as having a DSM-IV Cluster A (paranoid, schizoid, or schizotypal) or Cluster C (avoidant, dependent, obsessive–compulsive) PD by a mean age of 22 years were at elevated risk for recurrent or chronic unipolar depression. The findings of this study suggest that some types of PD traits that become evident by early adulthood may contribute to an increased risk for the development or recurrence of unipolar depressive disorders by middle adulthood.

A study of familial aggregation of depression, dementia and Parkinson's disease.

Depression is often accompanied by other disorders including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. We studied the familial aggregation of these disorders in order to examine the possibility of a shared genetic origin. In a population-based study of 6596 subjects, we studied the association of self-reported depression, which required treatment by a psychiatrist, to family history of psychiatric disease, dementia, and Parkinson's disease. A family history of psychiatric disease was significantly associated with overall depression as well as with unipolar (n = 303 patients) and bipolar (n = 27 patients) depression. The risk of unipolar depression was associated with the presence of two or more demented individuals among their first degree relatives (e.g. parents, siblings and children). Since there was no evidence for familial aggregation in subjects with only one demented relative, our study suggests that unipolar depression may be associated specifically to a strongly familial, form of dementia. The risk of bipolar depression was increased for those with one or more relatives with dementia and, perhaps, for those with relatives with Parkinson's disease. The familial aggregation of depression with dementia and perhaps Parkinson's disease suggests that there may be shared susceptibility gene(s) underlying these diseases. Our study indicates further that there may be differences in the genetic etiology between unipolar and bipolar depression.