Depressive disorders are associated with increased peripheral blood cell deformability: a cross-sectional...

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Cell Biology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Depressive disorders are characterized by inflammation and elevated glucocorticoids.
• These factors may alter cell mechanics, including deformability.
• Previous research has not extensively explored blood cell morpho-rheological properties in depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate morpho-rheological properties of blood cells in individuals at high risk for depressive disorders.
• To compare cell deformability and size between patients with depressive disorders and healthy controls.
• To identify specific blood cell types associated with depressive disorder phenotypes.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional case-control study design.
• Real-time deformability cytometry (RT-DC) for blood cell analysis.
• Deep learning for cell classification and quantification of morpho-rheological parameters.

Main Results:

• Peripheral blood cells were more deformable in patients with depressive disorders.
• Increased cell deformability was observed in monocytes and neutrophils in lifetime persistent depressive disorder.
• Erythrocytes showed increased deformability in 12-month persistent depressive disorder, and lymphocytes in 12-month major depressive disorder.

Conclusions:

• This is the first study to link depressive disorders, particularly persistent forms, with increased blood cell deformability.
• Immune cells, including lymphocytes, monocytes, and neutrophils, are significantly affected.
• Altered immune cell mechanics in depression may serve as a predictive marker for persistent immune responses.