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Childhood trauma combined with suicide attempts affects cognitive function and inflammation levels in drug-naive patients with major depressive disorder

  • 0Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300222, China.
Psychoneuroendocrinology +

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September 28, 2025

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September 28, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Childhood trauma and suicide attempts together worsen cognitive function, particularly attention, in major depressive disorder patients. This combination may also elevate TNF-α levels, indicating a complex biological interaction.

Area Of Science

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Immunology

Background

  • Childhood trauma (CT) and suicide attempts (SA) are independently linked to cognitive deficits in major depressive disorder (MDD).
  • The interactive effects of CT and SA on cognition and their underlying biological mechanisms in MDD remain largely unexplored.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To investigate the interactive impact of childhood trauma and suicide attempt history on cognitive function in first-episode, drug-naive patients with MDD.
  • To explore potential biological mechanisms, including inflammatory markers, associated with the combined effects of CT and SA in MDD.

Main Methods

  • Recruited 156 first-episode drug-naive MDD patients and 90 healthy controls (HC).
  • Assessed CT (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), SA history (Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation-Chinese Version), and neuropsychological function (Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status).
  • Measured serum levels of inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α, TNFR2) and oxidative stress markers (CAT, GSR, SOD) in MDD patients via ELISA.

Main Results

  • MDD patients exhibited significantly lower cognitive scores across all domains compared to HC.
  • A significant interaction between CT and SA history was found for overall cognitive performance, immediate memory, attention, and TNF-α levels in MDD patients.
  • The subgroup with both CT and SA history (CT+SA+) showed the most severe deficits in overall cognition and attention compared to other subgroups.

Conclusions

  • CT and SA may synergistically worsen cognitive impairment, especially attention deficits, in first-episode, drug-naive MDD patients.
  • The interaction between CT and SA may be associated with increased TNF-α levels, suggesting a role for inflammation in this exacerbation.

Keywords:

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