ArticleMolecular psychiatry2020
Persistent depressive symptoms, HPA-axis hyperactivity, and inflammation: the role of cognitive-affective and somatic symptoms.
Article in Molecular psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 153 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
153 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Blood circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA as a potential biomarker for major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis.Translational psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Phytochemicals in the treatment of patients with depression: a systemic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Hair cortisol as outcome parameter for psychological and neuropsychiatric interventions-a literature review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review of the pharmacological modulation of autobiographical memory specificity.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Self-Soothing Touch Reduces Momentary Stress, Fatigue, and Loneliness Comparable to Brief Meditation: A Randomised Controlled Trial.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2026Trial
- Long-term impact of childhood exposure to interparental physical violence on cancer risk in adulthood: a prospective cohort study.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Article
- No difference in anxiety symptoms between women with unilateral and bilateral ovarian endometriosis: a prospective cross-sectional study.Annals of medicine · 2026Article
- Association of long-term depressive burden with incident cardiometabolic multimorbidity: a prospective study in middle-aged and older adults across three continents.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Review
- Associations between inflammation markers (CRP and IL-6) and depression among adolescents and young adults in Soweto and Durban, South Africa.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Machine learning reveals a multimodal, transdiagnostic signature of emotion dysregulation vulnerability across patients, offspring, and controls.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- From Iron to Depression: The Crosstalk Between the Periphery and Brain.Neuroscience bulletin · 2026Review
- C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index and risk of incident depressive symptoms in older adults: an eight-year follow-up study from ELSA.Annals of general psychiatry · 2026Article
- Associations of modifiable risk factors with depression and anxiety in women and men: evidence from the UK Biobank.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Fingered Citron Volatile Oil: Extraction Methods, Chemical Composition, Biological Activity, and Product Development.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Review
- Pharmacotherapeutic Management of Depression in Patients With Cancer: A Review of Mechanistic and Clinical Evidence.Cancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2026Review
- Two-week prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation among first-visit general-hospital psychiatric outpatients: a cross-sectional study using the PHQ-9 and EPQ.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Interleukins in Major Depressive Disorder: Lessons From Autoimmune Diseases and Pathways to Clinical Translation.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Review
- Neuroprotective Effects of C-Phycocyanin in Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress-Exposed Rats: Regulation of Neuroinflammation and CREB/BDNF Signaling.Neurochemical research · 2026Article
- Interplay between the HPA axis and inflammation as mechanisms therapeutic targets ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
93 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis hyperactivity and inflammation are thought to be prominent in the aetiology of depression. Although meta-analyses have confirmed this relationship, there is considerable variability in the effect sizes across studies. This could be attributed to a differential role of such biological systems in somatic versus cognitive-affective depressive symptoms which remains largely unexplored. Furthermore, most longitudinal research to date has focused on transient rather than persistent depressive symptoms. In the current study, we investigated the associations of hair cortisol and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) with the longitudinal persistence and dimensions (cognitive-affective versus somatic) of depressive symptoms over a 14-year period using Trait-State-Occasion (TSO) structural equation modelling. The data came from a large sample of older adults from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Depressive symptoms were assessed from wave 1 (2002-03) to wave 8 (2016-17). Hair cortisol (N = 4761) and plasma CRP (N = 5784) were measured in wave 6 (2012-13). Covariates included demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, chronic disease, and medication data. Our results revealed that higher cortisol and CRP levels were significantly associated with persistent depressive symptoms across the study period. Notably, both biomarkers exhibited stronger relationships with somatic than with cognitive-affective symptoms. The associations with somatic symptoms were also independent of relevant confounding factors. In contrast, their associations with cognitive-affective symptoms were weak after adjustment for all covariates. These distinct associations reveal the importance of considering symptom-specific effects in future studies on pathophysiological mechanisms. Ultimately, this will have the potential to advance the search for biomarkers of depression and facilitate more targeted treatments.
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