Depression and chronic stress accelerates aging
The telomere is the outermost part of the chromosome. With increasing age, telomeres shorten, and studies have shown that oxidative stress and inflammation accelerates this shortening.
On this basis it has been suggested that telomere length is a measure of biological aging, and telomere length has subsequently been linked to age-related diseases, unhealthy lifestyle, and longevity. The research team shows that shorter telomere length is associated with both recurrent depression and cortisol levels indicative of exposure to chronic stress.
The study includes 91 patients with recurrent depression and 451 healthy controls. Telomere length, measured in white blood cells, is shorter among the patients compared with the control group. The scientists also examined the participants’ stress regulation using a so-called dexamethasone suppression test.
“The test revealed that cortisol levels indicative of chronic stress stress are associated with shorter telomeres in both depressed and healthy individuals,” says Mikael Wikgren, a doctoral candidate in the research group. The fact that depressed patients as a group have shorter telomere lengths compared to healthy individuals can be largely explained by the fact that more depressed people than healthy people have disturbed cortisol regulation, which underscores that cortisol regulation and stress play a major role in depressive disorders.
The article is part of Mikael Wikgren’s dissertation work. The research team, led by Professor Rolf Adolfsson, also includes Karl-Fredrik Norrback, Ph.D, (supervisor), doctoral candidate Martin Maripuu, and project coordinator Annelie Nordin. The study was carried out in collaboration with researchers from the Department of Medical Bioscience, Umeå University, as well as scientists at Stockholm University, Linköping University, and Antwerp University.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wikgren, Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Psychiatry, at mobile phone: +46 (0)70-303 89 42
e-mail: mikael.wikgren@psychiat.umu.se
Reference:
Wikgren M, Maripuu M, Karlsson T, Nordfjäll K, Bergdahl J, Hultdin J, Del-Favero J, Roos G, Nilsson LG, Adolfsson R, Norrback KF. Short telomeres in depression and the general population are associated with a hypocortisolemic state. Biol Psychiatry. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.09.015
Media Contact
All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry
Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.
Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.
Newest articles
Microscopic basis of a new form of quantum magnetism
Not all magnets are the same. When we think of magnetism, we often think of magnets that stick to a refrigerator’s door. For these types of magnets, the electronic interactions…
An epigenome editing toolkit to dissect the mechanisms of gene regulation
A study from the Hackett group at EMBL Rome led to the development of a powerful epigenetic editing technology, which unlocks the ability to precisely program chromatin modifications. Understanding how…
NASA selects UF mission to better track the Earth’s water and ice
NASA has selected a team of University of Florida aerospace engineers to pursue a groundbreaking $12 million mission aimed at improving the way we track changes in Earth’s structures, such…
