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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

An Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Protocol for Instigating Depressive Symptoms, Behavioral Changes and Negative Health Outcomes in Rodents

An Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Protocol for Instigating Depressive Symptoms, Behavioral Changes and Negative Health Outcomes in Rodents

Published on: December 2, 2015

Depression gets old fast: do stress and depression accelerate cell aging?

Owen M Wolkowitz¹, Elissa S Epel, Victor I Reus

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA. Owen.Wolkowitz@ucsf.edu

Depression and Anxiety

|April 9, 2010

Summary

Depression accelerates aging and increases disease risk. Understanding biochemical pathways like the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis offers new treatment targets for depression and related conditions.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Gerontology
Biochemistry

Background:

Depression is linked to accelerated aging and increased incidence of age-related diseases.
Chronic stress pathways in depression may drive cellular damage and comorbidities.

Purpose of the Study:

To review biochemical mediators contributing to depression and accelerated aging.
To explore the role of these mediators in comorbid medical illnesses.

Main Methods:

Theoretical review of biochemical pathways.
Analysis of mediators including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, neurosteroids, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, excitotoxicity, oxidative/inflammatory stress, and telomere maintenance.

Main Results:

Identified key biochemical pathways implicated in depression-related accelerated aging.
Highlighted the interconnectedness of stress, cell damage, and comorbid conditions.

Conclusions:

A deeper understanding of these mediators can refine depression models.
Re-conceptualizing depression as a whole-body disease can guide new therapeutic strategies.