Serum neuropeptide Y in accident survivors with depression or posttraumatic stress disorder

Although neuropeptide Y (NPY) has received attention for its potential anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effect, evidence in humans has been limited. This study aimed to clarify the relationships between serum NPY and depressive disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in accident survivors. Depressive disorders and PTSD were diagnosed by structural interviews at 1-month follow-up, and serum NPY was measured at the first assessment and 1-month follow-up. Analysis of variance was used to investigate significance of the differences identified. Furthermore, resilience was measured by self-report questionnaires. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between resilience and serum NPY. Three hundred accident survivors participated in the assessment at the first assessment, and 138 completed the assessment at 1-month follow-up. Twenty-six participants had major depressive disorder and 6 had minor depressive disorder. Nine participants had PTSD and 16 had partial PTSD. No relationship existed between serum NPY and depressive disorders, PTSD, and resilience. The results of cannot be compared with those of NPY in the central nervous system (CNS), but these findings might be due to the nature of depression and PTSD in accident survivors. Further studies are needed to examine the relationships between NPY in CNS and depression and PTSD.