Targeted Rejection Triggers Differential Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Gene Expression in Adolescents as a Function of Social Status
Open accessAbstract
Social difficulties during adolescence influence life-span health. To elucidate underlying mechanisms, we examined whether a noxious social event, targeted rejection (TR), influences the signaling pathways that regulate inflammation, which is implicated in a number of health problems. For this study, 147 adolescent women at risk for developing a first episode of major depression were interviewed every 6 months for 2.5 years to assess recent TR exposure, and blood was drawn to quantify leukocyte messenger RNA (mRNA) for nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and inhibitor of κB (I-κB) and the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. Participants had more NF-κB and I-κB mRNA at visits when TR had occurred. These shifts in inflammatory signaling were most pronounced for adolescents high in perceived social status. These findings demonstrate that social rejection upregulates inflammatory gene expression in youth at risk for depression, particularly for those high in status. If sustained, this heightened inflammatory signaling could have implications for life-span health.
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In 147 adolescent girls at elevated risk for depression assessed every 6 months for 2.5 years, participants had significantly higher levels of mRNA for both NFκB and IκB at visits when they had experienced a recent targeted rejection life event compared to visits when no such event had occurred.
“participants had significantly higher levels of mRNA for both NFκ B and Iκ B at visits when they had experienced a recent targeted rejection life event compared to visits when no such event had occurred”
From From stress to inflammation and major depressive disorder: A social signal transduction theory of depression. (2014) · cites this paper as M. L. M. Murphy, Slavich, Rohleder, and Miller (2013)
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- Authors
- Murphy, M. L. M., Slavich, G. M., Rohleder, N., & Miller, G. E.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Brandeis University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Murphy, Michael L. M.
- Venue
- Clinical Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2012-09-07
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 30-40
- ISSN
- 2167-7026 (ISSN-L)
- 2167-7034
- PMC
- PMC3638871
- OpenAlex
- W2092805551
- Cited by
- 92
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 2.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Clinical Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD058502)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- social rejection, adolescent girls, social status, inflammation, NF-κB signaling, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, leukocyte gene expression, social difficulties
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