Cited by 331Tryptophan and brain disordersStress Responses and CortisolChild Abuse and Trauma

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 41 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 17 of the 33 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Clustering of Depression and Inflammation in Adolescents Previously Exposed to Childhood Adversity

Open access
Miller, Gregory E., Cole, Steve W.·2012·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

Background There is mounting interest in the hypothesis that inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of depression, and underlies depressed patients’ vulnerability to comorbid medical conditions. However, research on depression and inflammation has yielded conflicting findings, fostering speculation that these conditions associate only in certain subgroups, like patients exposed to childhood adversity. Methods We studied 147 adolescent females. All were in good health at baseline, but at high risk for depression by virtue of family history and/or cognitive vulnerability. Subjects were assessed every six months for 2.5 years, undergoing diagnostic interviews and venipuncture for measurement of two inflammatory biomarkers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Childhood adversity was indexed by parental separation, low socioeconomic status, and familial psychopathology. Results Multilevel models indicated that childhood adversity promotes clustering of depression and inflammation. Among subjects exposed to high childhood adversity, the transition to depression was accompanied by increases in both CRP and IL-6. The higher CRP remained evident six months later, even after depressive symptoms had abated. These lingering effects were bi-directional, such that among subjects with childhood adversity, high IL-6 forecasted depression six months later, even after concurrent inflammation was considered. This coupling of depression and inflammation was not apparent in subjects without childhood adversity. Conclusions These findings suggest that childhood adversity promotes the formation of a neuroimmune pipeline, wherein inflammatory signaling between the brain and periphery is amplified. Once established, this pipeline leads to a coupling of depression and inflammation, which may contribute to later affective difficulties and biomedical complications.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.02.034

Cites

41 of 41 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Verification

Claims the paper makes

17 of 33 cited sources checked · 10 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

Show all 55 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 25
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 23
38 of 38
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The childhood adversity index formed from parental age, familial disruption, parental affective illness, low household education, and limited economic resources validly captures the childhood adversity relevant to depression-inflammation clustering.

    “Using data from baseline interviews, we formed a childhood adversity index. One point was assigned for each of the following risks: (a) birth to a teenage mother, who was < 20 years old at delivery, (b) familial disruption before age 15, caused by the death of a parent or divorce; or separation from a parent that lasted more than one year; (c) a history of affective illness in parents/guardians; (”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    CRP and IL-6 measurements validly index the inflammatory processes relevant to depression.

    “CRP was measured by high-sensitivity chemiluminescence on an Immulite 2000 (Diagnostic Products Corporation, Los Angeles, CA).”
    “IL-6 was measured in duplicate by commercially available high-sensitivity ELISA (R&D Systems; Minneapolis, MN).”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The outcome (depression status) follows an underlying Bernoulli distribution.

    “Using multilevel models that assumed an underlying Bernoulli distribution of the outcome”
3 of 3

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Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Lagged IL-6 finding claims an unreported inflammation adjustment

    Minor

    The abstract says IL-6 predicted depression after concurrent inflammation was considered. The described lagged model instead adjusts for prior depression status and other covariates; it does not list concurrent inflammation as an adjustment.

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Metadata

Authors
Miller, G. E., & Cole, S. W.
Affiliations
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
Corresponding author
Miller, Gregory E.
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-07
Volume
72
Issue
1
Pages
34-40
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2037158815
Cited by
331
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 4
FWCI
6.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (67191)
  • National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression Brain and Behavior Research Fund
  • Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 HD058502)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
Keywords
childhood adversity, depression, inflammation, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, adolescents, adolescent girls, parental separation, low socioeconomic status, inflammatory markers, comorbidities
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, C-Reactive Protein, Canada, Depressive Disorder, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Inflammation, Interview, Psychological, Life Change Events, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Risk Factors, Biomarkers, Interleukin-6, Cluster Analysis, Young Adult

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