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Related Experiment Videos

Baroreflex sensitivity is reduced in depression.

Andrew J M Broadley1, Michael P Frenneaux, Valentina Moskvina

  • 1Heart and Lung Unit, Torbay Hospital, Torquay, UK.

Psychosomatic Medicine
|July 28, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Patients in remission from depression have impaired baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS), a key factor in sudden cardiac death risk. This impairment persists even without other cardiac risk factors, highlighting a significant cardiovascular concern in depression.

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Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychiatry
  • Autonomic Nervous System Function

Background:

  • Depression is linked to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including sudden cardiac death.
  • Impaired baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS) is a known risk factor for sudden death in cardiac patients.
  • This risk persists even after successful depression treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if BRS is impaired in individuals with depression in remission.
  • To determine if BRS impairment occurs in the absence of other cardiac risk factors.
  • To test the hypothesis that depression itself, independent of other factors, affects BRS.

Main Methods:

  • Baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS) was measured using the sequence method.
  • 36 patients with treated recurrent depression (euthymic, no cardiac disease/risk factors) were compared to 39 healthy controls.

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  • Exclusion criteria included heart disease, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and BMI >30.

    • Main Results:

    • BRS was significantly lower in patients with depression compared to controls (19.5 vs. 25.4 ms/mm Hg, p = .017).
    • Depression was a significant predictor of lower BRS, even after adjusting for age, sex, cholesterol, and BMI (p = .027).
    • No significant difference in BRS was found between patients on antidepressants versus those not on medication (p = .40).

    Conclusions:

    • Individuals with depression in remission exhibit impaired baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS).
    • This impairment may contribute to the elevated cardiac risk observed in patients with depression.
    • BRS impairment appears to be an independent consequence of depression, not solely related to medication or other cardiac risk factors.