Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40786651›Full record

ArticleBrain, behavior, & immunity - health2025

Adolescent depression, childhood maltreatment, and the immune system; a role for epigenetic aging?

Marieke S Tollenaar, Nicole Creasey, Mirjam C M Wever, Karen Knipping, Johan Garssen, Lisanne E A M van Houtum, Wilma G M Wentholt, Loes Janssen, Elad Lax, Bernet M Elzinga

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In one paragraph

Article in Brain, behavior, & immunity - health, 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. Article
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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

10 authors.

Marieke S TollenaarLeiden University, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands.
Nicole CreaseyFaculty of Education, PEDAL Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Mirjam C M WeverLeiden University, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands.
Karen KnippingUtrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division Pharmacology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Johan GarssenUtrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division Pharmacology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Lisanne E A M van HoutumDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre-Sophia, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Wilma G M WentholtLeiden University, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands.
Loes JanssenLeiden University, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands.
Elad LaxAriel University, Department of Molecular Biology, Israel.
Bernet M ElzingaLeiden University, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for the development of depression, as well as for imbalances in the immune system, including chronic low-grade inflammation. Less is known about potential immune imbalances in adolescent depression and the role of childhood maltreatment. Furthermore, accelerated epigenetic aging may contribute to the development of inflammation, but has never been examined in the context of adolescent depression. Methods: We investigated childhood maltreatment, inflammation, and epigenetic aging in 78 healthy adolescents and 33 adolescents with a clinically diagnosed depressive disorder. Childhood maltreatment was assessed via self-report, and inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, sIgA, and TNF-α) were analyzed in saliva. DNA methylation was analyzed in a subsample ( Results: The MANOVA showed that depression was significantly associated with the immune markers, but not with epigenetic aging. Post-hoc tests suggested however that IL-8 levels were reduced, while none of the other markers were affected. Unexpectedly, childhood (emotional) maltreatment was significantly associated with epigenetic age Conclusions: Our results contrast with previous literature in adults, indicating that epigenetic age

Indexed as

Childhood maltreatmentDepressionEpigenetic agingImmune systemInflammation

Identifiers

PMID40786651
PMCPMC12332949

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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.