Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24417575›Full record

ReviewPsychological bulletin2014

From stress to inflammation and major depressive disorder: a social signal transduction theory of depression.

George M Slavich, Michael R Irwin

4 registry-linked trialsOpen access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Psychological bulletin, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 4 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 1,083 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1,083citing papers in PubMed, 12 pooled it
34.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02972554 phase4completednot on this mapstarted 2016, after this paper: background citation

Beta-Blockers and Inflammatory Responses to Acute Psychosocial Stress

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel HillRan2016 to 2017Enrolled92ConditionsStress, Psychological, Inflammation, Cortisol, Sympathetic Nervous SystemArmsPropanolol hydrochloride, Placebo
NCT05654441 phase4completednot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

Low-grade Inflammatory Challenge and Social Behavior

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel HillRan2022 to 2023Enrolled104ConditionsPsychology, Social, Inflammation, Defeat, Social, Interaction, SocialArmsInfluenza vaccine, Placebo
NCT06063174 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Identifying Social, Molecular, & Immunological Processes for Mitigating Toxic Stress & Enhancing Personalized Resilience

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of California, Los AngelesRan2023 to 2024Enrolled712ConditionsStress, Stress, Psychological, Stress, Physiological, Stress, EmotionalArmsEducation Program, Think Well Program, Be Well Program, Eat Well Program, Sleep Well Program
NCT06450704 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Inflammatory and Brain Mechanisms and Clinical and Cognitive Effects of an Exercise Intervention in Major Depressive Disorder: a Randomised Longitudinal Clinical Trial.

TypeinterventionalSponsorFundación de Investigación Biomédica - Hospital Universitario de La PrincesaRan2025 to 2026Enrolled124ConditionsMajor Depressive Disorder, Inflammatory ResponseArmsPhysical Exercise, Antidepressant medication (ADM)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1,083 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 2,076 citations in OpenAlex.

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1,023 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

George M SlavichCousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California, Los Angeles.
Michael R IrwinCousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California, Los Angeles.
University of California, Los Angeles · US

Funding

UCLA Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR000124 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI DUBINETT, STEVEN M. · 2012 to 2015
$57.0M
UCLA OLDER AMERICANS INDEPENDENCE CENTERP30AG028748 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI REUBEN, DAVID B. · 2006 to 2017
$9.8M
Aging: Sleep and Inflammatory Mechanisms in Depression PreventionR01AG026364 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI IRWIN, MICHAEL R · 2005 to 2015
$5.8M
Sleep, Inflamation, and Depression Occurrence in Breast Cancer SurvivorsR01CA160245 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI IRWIN, MICHAEL R · 2012 to 2016
$3.9M
Chronic Moderate Sleep Restriction in Older Long and Older Average SleepersR01HL095799 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · PI IRWIN, MICHAEL R, JEAN-LOUIS, GIRARDIN · 2011 to 2015
$3.8M
Biobehavioral Influences and the Ovarian Tumor MicroenvironmentR01CA140933 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI LUTGENDORF, SUSAN K · 2009 to 2013
$2.8M
Mechanisms of Sleep Disruption HyperalgesiaR01DA032922 · NIDA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI IRWIN, MICHAEL R, SMITH, MICHAEL T · 2012 to 2016
$2.7M
Tai Chi Effects on Chronic Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors: Immune MechanismsR01CA119159 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI IRWIN, MICHAEL R · 2006 to 2010
$2.2M
Subjective Social Isolation and Sleep Disturbances: Inflammatory Mechanisms in AgR01AG034588 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI IRWIN, MICHAEL R · 2009 to 2013
$1.9M
Neural, Inflammatory, and Genomic Mechanisms Underlying Risk for Depression in AdolescenceK08MH103443 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI SLAVICH, GEORGE MICHAEL · 2015 to 2018
$772k
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000124NCI NIH HHS R01 CA119159NCI NIH HHS R01 CA140933NCI NIH HHS R01 CA160245NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL095799NIA NIH HHS P30 AG028748NIA NIH HHS R01 AG026364NIA NIH HHS R01 AG034588NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA032922NIMH NIH HHS K08 MH103443
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Major life stressors, especially those involving interpersonal stress and social rejection, are among the strongest proximal risk factors for depression. In this review, we propose a biologically plausible, multilevel theory that describes neural, physiologic, molecular, and genomic mechanisms that link experiences of social-environmental stress with internal biological processes that drive depression pathogenesis. Central to this social signal transduction theory of depression is the hypothesis that experiences of social threat and adversity up-regulate components of the immune system involved in inflammation. The key mediators of this response, called proinflammatory cytokines, can in turn elicit profound changes in behavior, which include the initiation of depressive symptoms such as sad mood, anhedonia, fatigue, psychomotor retardation, and social-behavioral withdrawal. This highly conserved biological response to adversity is critical for survival during times of actual physical threat or injury. However, this response can also be activated by modern-day social, symbolic, or imagined threats, leading to an increasingly proinflammatory phenotype that may be a key phenomenon driving depression pathogenesis and recurrence, as well as the overlap of depression with several somatic conditions including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and neurodegeneration. Insights from this theory may thus shed light on several important questions including how depression develops, why it frequently recurs, why it is strongly predicted by early life stress, and why it often co-occurs with symptoms of anxiety and with certain physical disease conditions. This work may also suggest new opportunities for preventing and treating depression by targeting inflammation.

Indexed as

AdultChildChild, PreschoolComorbidityCytokinesFemaleHumansInflammationMajor Depressive DisorderMaleSocial TheoryStress, PsychologicalCytokines

Identifiers

PMID24417575
PMCPMC4006295
OpenAlexW1980555794

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.