Longitudinal associations between depressive symptoms and cell deformability: do glucocorticoids play a role?

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Endocrinology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Increased cell deformability is observed in depressive disorders (DD).
• Impaired glucocorticoid secretion is linked to DD and affects cell mechanics.
• Longitudinal data on glucocorticoids, depressive symptoms, and cell deformability are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if depressive symptoms predict cell deformability one year later.
• To determine if accumulated hair glucocorticoids mediate the relationship between depressive symptoms and cell deformability.

Main Methods:

• 136 individuals assessed for depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) and hair glucocorticoids (cortisol, cortisone) at baseline (T1).
• Reassessed depressive symptoms and hair glucocorticoids at one-year follow-up (T2).
• Assessed peripheral blood cell deformability at T2.

Main Results:

• Depression severity at T1 predicted higher monocyte and lymphocyte deformability at T2.
• Accumulated hair cortisol and cortisone concentrations (T1-T2) were not associated with cell deformability.
• Hair glucocorticoids did not mediate the link between depressive symptoms and cell deformability.

Conclusions:

• Elevated depressive symptomatology is longitudinally associated with increased immune cell deformability.
• Long-term integrated glucocorticoid levels do not appear to mediate this association.