| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
From the Department of Psychology (G.E.M., S.C., T.B.H.), Carnegie Mellon University, and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (G.E.M.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA.
Address reprint requests to: Gregory Miller, PhD, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Email: gmiller{at}andrew.cmu.edu
OBJECTIVES: The goals of this study were to investigate whether depression is associated with cellular immunity in ambulatory patients and to identify neuroendocrine and behavioral pathways that might account for this relationship.
METHODS: We studied 32 women who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, fourth edition, criteria for major depressive disorder and 32 healthy female control subjects. The groups were matched for age and ethnicity. None were taking medication, and all were free of disease involving the immune system.
RESULTS: Depressed subjects had reduced proliferative responses to the mitogens concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin compared with control subjects. Natural killer cell activity was reduced among older depressed subjects but enhanced among younger depressed subjects. Although depression was associated with elevated circulating levels of norepinephrine and estradiol, these hormones could not account for the immunologic differences between depressed and control subjects. Depression was also associated with greater tobacco and caffeine consumption, less physical activity, and poorer sleep quality. Mediational analyses were consistent with physical activity acting as a pathway through which depression was associated with reduced lymphocyte proliferation.
CONCLUSIONS: Ambulatory patients with mild to moderately severe depression exhibit reduced mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferative responses and altered natural killer cell cytotoxicity. The relationship between depression and proliferative responses may be mediated by physical activity.
Key Words: psychoneuroimmunology • depression • immunity • physical activity
Abbreviations: ACTH = adrenocorticotropin; ANOVA = analysis of variance; BDI = Beck Depression Inventory; ConA = concanavalin A; CV = coefficient of variation; DSM-IV = Diagnostic andStatistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition; ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; GCRC = GeneralClinical Research Center; HAM-D = Hamilton Rating Scale forDepression; HPA = hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal; IL-1ß =interleukin 1-ß; NKCC = natural killer cell cytotoxicity; PHA = phytohemagglutinin; POMS = Profile of Mood States; SADS-L = Schedule for Affective Disorders–Lifetime Version; SCID-P = Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV–PatientVersion; THC-tetrahydrocannabinol.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  M. Elovainio, J. E Ferrie, A. Singh-Manoux, D. Gimeno, R. De Vogli, M. Shipley, J. Vahtera, E. Brunner, M. G Marmot, and M. Kivimaki Organisational justice and markers of inflammation: the Whitehall II study Occup. Environ. Med., February 1, 2010; 67(2): 78 - 83. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. D. Cohen, L. Norris, K. Acquaviva, R. A. Peterson, and P. L. Kimmel Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Depression in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., November 1, 2007; 2(6): 1332 - 1342. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. L. Steel, D. A. Geller, T. C. Gamblin, M. C. Olek, and B. I. Carr Depression, Immunity, and Survival in Patients With Hepatobiliary Carcinoma J. Clin. Oncol., June 10, 2007; 25(17): 2397 - 2405. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. J. Forlenza and G. E. Miller Increased Serum Levels of 8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine in Clinical Depression Psychosom Med, January 1, 2006; 68(1): 1 - 7. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. E. Miller, N. Rohleder, C. Stetler, and C. Kirschbaum Clinical Depression and Regulation of the Inflammatory Response During Acute Stress Psychosom Med, September 1, 2005; 67(5): 679 - 687. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. R. Wulsin, J. C. Evans, R. S. Vasan, J. M. Murabito, M. Kelly-Hayes, and E. J. Benjamin Depressive Symptoms, Coronary Heart Disease, and Overall Mortality in the Framingham Heart Study Psychosom Med, September 1, 2005; 67(5): 697 - 702. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 N. S. Consedine, C. Magai, and D. Horton Ethnic Variation in the Impact of Emotion and Emotion Regulation on Health: A Replication and Extension J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, July 1, 2005; 60(4): P165 - P173. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. E. Miller, S. Cohen, S. Pressman, A. Barkin, B. S. Rabin, and J. J. Treanor Psychological Stress and Antibody Response to Influenza Vaccination: When Is the Critical Period for Stress, and How Does It Get Inside the Body? Psychosom Med, March 1, 2004; 66(2): 215 - 223. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. P. Carney, L. Jones, R. F. Woolson, R. Noyes Jr., and B. N. Doebbeling Relationship Between Depression and Pancreatic Cancer in the General Population Psychosom Med, September 1, 2003; 65(5): 884 - 888. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. W. Vines, S. Gupta, T. Whiteside, D. Dostal-Johnson, and A. Hummler-Davis The Relationship between Chronic Pain, Immune Function, Depression, and Health Behaviors Biol Res Nurs, July 1, 2003; 5(1): 18 - 29. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. T. Orr, S. A. James, and C. Blackmore Prince Maternal Prenatal Depressive Symptoms and Spontaneous Preterm Births among African-American Women in Baltimore, Maryland Am. J. Epidemiol., November 1, 2002; 156(9): 797 - 802. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. K. Kiecolt-Glaser, L. McGuire, T. F. Robles, and R. Glaser Psychoneuroimmunology and Psychosomatic Medicine: Back to the Future Psychosom Med, January 1, 2002; 64(1): 15 - 28. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. R. Ickovics, M. E. Hamburger, D. Vlahov, E. E. Schoenbaum, P. Schuman, R. J. Boland, J. Moore, and for the HIV Epidemiology Research Study Group Mortality, CD4 Cell Count Decline, and Depressive Symptoms Among HIV-Seropositive Women: Longitudinal Analysis From the HIV Epidemiology Research Study JAMA, March 21, 2001; 285(11): 1466 - 1474. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
