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A critical appraisal of mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation in depressed patients
D F Darko1, N W Wilson, J C Gillin
1NIMH Clinical Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.
Insights
Mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation assays show unexpected findings in depressed patients. Further longitudinal studies are needed to understand immune system changes in depression.
Area of Science:
- Psychoneuroimmunology
- Immunology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Psychoimmunology research explores the interplay between psychological states and immune system function.
- Assessing immune cell activity, such as lymphocyte proliferation, can provide insights into this relationship.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical utility of mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation assays in psychoimmunology research.
- To investigate potential determinants of lymphocyte proliferation in depressed individuals.
Main Methods:
- Conducted lymphocyte proliferation assays on 23 depressed patients and 23 matched controls.
- Combined data with a previous study (20 depressed patients, 20 controls) for further analysis.
- Utilized Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia interview for clinical assessments.
Main Results:
- No significant overall differences in lymphocyte proliferation between depressed patients and controls were found.
- Depressed patients with lower proliferative responses exhibited less severe symptoms on specific scales (e.g., depression, anergia) and fewer obsessions/compulsions.
- Statistical analyses (discriminant and cluster analysis) offered limited additional insight into proliferation determinants.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights unexpected correlations between lymphocyte proliferation and symptom severity in depression.
- Recommends longitudinal studies with serial measurements for the assay to be useful in evaluating immune changes in depression.
Objective:
The authors' goal was to evaluate the utility of mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation assays in clinical research in psychoimmunology.
Method:
They examined 23 depressed patients and 23 matched comparison subjects with this assay. There were no significant differences between these groups. They then combined the results of this study with the results of their previous study of 20 depressed patients and 20 comparison subjects to examine possible determinants of lymphocyte proliferation in depression.
Results:
Depressed patients with lower proliferative responses than their matched comparison subjects had lower depression subscale, anergia subscale, and total scores on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale than did patients with higher proliferative responses than their matched comparison subjects. This finding was unexpected and unexplained. Depressed patients with lower proliferative responses than their matched comparison subjects also had fewer obsessions and compulsions and less psychomotor agitation according to the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia interview than did patients with higher proliferative responses than their matched comparison subjects. Stepwise discriminant analysis and cluster analysis contributed little further understanding of the determinants of in vitro lymphocyte proliferation of cells from depressed patients.
Conclusions:
Longitudinal studies using multiple serial determinations of mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation are the minimal design needed to make this assay useful in further evaluating any immune system changes in depression.