Inflammation and attentional bias in breast cancer survivors.
Open accessAbstract
Evidence suggests an association between inflammation and depression, although findings are mixed. Focusing on core processes in depression may clarify associated biological underpinnings. Negative cognitive bias is a key component of depression, but has not been examined in relation to inflammation. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that elevated inflammatory markers would be associated with negative attentional bias in a sample of 91 breast cancer survivors. Participants were drawn from a larger study and provided blood samples for assessment of peripheral markers of inflammation and completed questionnaires and neuropsychological testing. Attentional bias towards emotional stimuli was assessed with a dot-probe computer task using emotional (sad, happy, angry) and neutral faces. Circulating concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) were positively correlated with negative attentional bias (p=.03), such that women with higher CRP allocated greater attention towards sad faces. This association held when controlling for attention function and current depressive symptoms. While cross-sectional, results are consistent with research showing that inflammation heightens the salience of negative emotional stimuli, and identify a novel pathway through which inflammation may lead to depression.
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CRP levels positively correlate with increased attentional bias toward sad versus happy and angry faces in breast cancer survivors.
“Levels of CRP were reported to positively correlate with increased AB toward sad vs. happy and angry faces in breast cancer survivors (Boyle et al., 2017).”
From The interplay between stress, inflammation, and emotional attention: relevance for depression (2019) · cites this paper as Boyle et al., 2017
The only known study on inflammation and cognitive bias toward negative information found a correlation between CRP and attentional bias toward negative faces in a dot-probe task in breast cancer survivors.
“The only known study to have examined whether inflammation contributes to the cognitive bias toward negative information showed a correlation between CRP and attentional bias towards negative faces in a dot-probe task administered to breast cancer survivors (Boyle et al., 2017)”
From The role of inflammation in core features of depression: Insights from paradigms using exogenously-induced inflammation. (2018) · cites this paper as Boyle et al., 2017
Even after controlling for concurrent depressed mood, inflammation remains associated with both attentional bias and fatigue.
“Indeed, the association between inflammation and both attentional bias and fatigue remain when accounting for concurrent depressed mood (Bower et al., 2009; Boyle et al., 2017).”
From The role of inflammation in core features of depression: Insights from paradigms using exogenously-induced inflammation. (2018) · cites this paper as Boyle et al., 2017
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The interplay between stress, inflammation, and emotional attention: relevance for depression
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- Authors
- Boyle, C. C., Ganz, P. A., Van Dyk, K. M., & Bower, J. E.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Boyle, Chloe C.
- Venue
- Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-11
- Volume
- 66
- Pages
- 85-88
- ISSN
- 0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5920531
- OpenAlex
- W2619874671
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3
- FWCI
- 0.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute (R01 CA 109650)
- Breast Cancer Research Foundation
- NIH/NIMH (5T32MH015750-35)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- inflammation, attentional bias, breast cancer survivors, C-reactive protein, depression, negative cognitive bias, emotional face processing, sad faces, dot-probe task, peripheral inflammatory markers
- MeSH terms
- Attentional Bias, Cancer Survivors, Adult, Aged, Breast Neoplasms, C-Reactive Protein, Emotions, Facial Expression, Female, Humans, Inflammation, Middle Aged, Inflammation Mediators
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