Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39831784›Full record

ArticleDialogues in clinical neuroscience2025

The flow cytometric analysis of depression focusing on modern-type depression and hikikomori: Exploring the link between subtypes of depression and immunological imbalances.

Keitaro Matsuo, Mitsuru Watanabe, Shogo Inamine, Toshio Matsushima, Sota Kyuragi, Yasuhiro Maeda, Ryoko Katsuki, Masahiro Ohgidani, Ryo Yamasaki, Noriko Isobe and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Parental bonding and attachment in the hikikomori trajectory.Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
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

12 authors.

Keitaro MatsuoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.ORCID 0009-0006-7527-0269
Mitsuru WatanabeDepartment of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.ORCID 0000-0003-0831-623X
Shogo InamineDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Toshio MatsushimaDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Sota KyuragiDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Yasuhiro MaedaDepartment of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Ryoko KatsukiDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Masahiro OhgidaniDepartment of Functional Anatomy and Neuroscience, Asahikawa Medical University, Hokkaido, Japan.
Ryo YamasakiDepartment of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Noriko IsobeDepartment of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.ORCID 0000-0001-9525-4254
Tomohiro NakaoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Takahiro A KatoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.ORCID 0000-0001-5169-2930

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDepression includes different phenotypes. Modern-type depression (MTD) is a gateway disorder to pathological social withdrawal, known as hikikomori. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are also important aetiologies of depression. Recently, immune imbalance has been proposed as a biological basis of depression. We hypothesised that peripheral immunological characteristics may be involved in subtyping of depression.

methods21 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 24 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were examined for surface antigens by flow cytometry. Participants were administered psychological scales such as Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9, Modern-Type Depression Trait Scale (TACS-22), Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25), Child Abuse and Trauma Scale (CATS).

resultsMDD group showed significantly higher percentage of B cells than HC group (

conclusionsMTD traits, hikikomori tendencies, and ACEs were correlated with specific characteristics of peripheral immune cells. Our results suggest that immune imbalance influences the diverse presentations of depression. Further validation is warranted by large-scale prospective studies.

Indexed as

DepressionMajor Depressive DisorderAdultAdverse Childhood ExperiencesFemaleFlow CytometryHumansLeukocytes, MononuclearMaleMiddle Agedadverse childhood experiences (ACEs)Depressionhikikomorimajor depressive disorder (MDD)modern-type depression (MTD)peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)

Identifiers

PMID39831784
PMCPMC11748865

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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.