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PBMC telomerase activity, but not leukocyte telomere length, correlates with hippocampal volume in major depression.

Wolkowitz, Owen M ; Mellon, Synthia H ; Lindqvist, Daniel LU ; Epel, Elissa S ; Blackburn, Elizabeth H ; Lin, Jue ; Reus, Victor I ; Burke, Heather ; Rosser, Rebecca and Mahan, Laura , et al. (2015) In Psychiatry Research 232(1). p.58-64
Abstract
Accelerated cell aging, indexed in peripheral leukocytes by telomere shortness and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by telomerase activity, has been reported in several studies of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the relevance of these peripheral measures for brain indices that are presumably more directly related to MDD pathophysiology is unknown. In this study, we explored the relationship between PBMC telomerase activity and leukocyte telomere length and magnetic resonance imaging-estimated hippocampal volume in un-medicated depressed individuals and healthy controls. We predicted that, to the extent peripheral and central telomerase activity are directly related, PBMC telomerase activity would be positively... (More)
Accelerated cell aging, indexed in peripheral leukocytes by telomere shortness and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by telomerase activity, has been reported in several studies of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the relevance of these peripheral measures for brain indices that are presumably more directly related to MDD pathophysiology is unknown. In this study, we explored the relationship between PBMC telomerase activity and leukocyte telomere length and magnetic resonance imaging-estimated hippocampal volume in un-medicated depressed individuals and healthy controls. We predicted that, to the extent peripheral and central telomerase activity are directly related, PBMC telomerase activity would be positively correlated with hippocampal volume, perhaps due to hippocampal telomerase-associated neurogenesis, neuroprotection or neurotrophic facilitation, and that this effect would be clearer in individuals with increased PBMC telomerase activity, as previously reported in un-medicated MDD. We did not have specific hypotheses regarding the relationship between leukocyte telomere length and hippocampal volume, due to conflicting reports in the published literature. We found, in 25 un-medicated MDD subjects, that PBMC telomerase activity was significantly positively correlated with hippocampal volume; this relationship was not observed in 18 healthy controls. Leukocyte telomere length was not significantly related to hippocampal volume in either group (19 unmedicated MDD subjects and 17 healthy controls). Although the nature of the relationship between peripheral telomerase activity and telomere length and the hippocampus is unclear, these preliminary data are consistent with the possibility that PBMC telomerase activity indexes, and may provide a novel window into, hippocampal neuroprotection and/or neurogenesis in MDD. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Psychiatry Research
volume
232
issue
1
pages
58 - 64
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:25773002
  • wos:000353625300005
  • scopus:84927910079
ISSN
1872-7123
DOI
10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.01.007
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ad640b4c-c304-4a7b-a3c9-22741a57a04a (old id 5258625)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25773002?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:20:17
date last changed
2022-04-04 17:06:29
@article{ad640b4c-c304-4a7b-a3c9-22741a57a04a,
  abstract     = {{Accelerated cell aging, indexed in peripheral leukocytes by telomere shortness and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by telomerase activity, has been reported in several studies of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the relevance of these peripheral measures for brain indices that are presumably more directly related to MDD pathophysiology is unknown. In this study, we explored the relationship between PBMC telomerase activity and leukocyte telomere length and magnetic resonance imaging-estimated hippocampal volume in un-medicated depressed individuals and healthy controls. We predicted that, to the extent peripheral and central telomerase activity are directly related, PBMC telomerase activity would be positively correlated with hippocampal volume, perhaps due to hippocampal telomerase-associated neurogenesis, neuroprotection or neurotrophic facilitation, and that this effect would be clearer in individuals with increased PBMC telomerase activity, as previously reported in un-medicated MDD. We did not have specific hypotheses regarding the relationship between leukocyte telomere length and hippocampal volume, due to conflicting reports in the published literature. We found, in 25 un-medicated MDD subjects, that PBMC telomerase activity was significantly positively correlated with hippocampal volume; this relationship was not observed in 18 healthy controls. Leukocyte telomere length was not significantly related to hippocampal volume in either group (19 unmedicated MDD subjects and 17 healthy controls). Although the nature of the relationship between peripheral telomerase activity and telomere length and the hippocampus is unclear, these preliminary data are consistent with the possibility that PBMC telomerase activity indexes, and may provide a novel window into, hippocampal neuroprotection and/or neurogenesis in MDD.}},
  author       = {{Wolkowitz, Owen M and Mellon, Synthia H and Lindqvist, Daniel and Epel, Elissa S and Blackburn, Elizabeth H and Lin, Jue and Reus, Victor I and Burke, Heather and Rosser, Rebecca and Mahan, Laura and Mackin, Scott and Yang, Tony and Weiner, Michael and Mueller, Susanne}},
  issn         = {{1872-7123}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{58--64}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Psychiatry Research}},
  title        = {{PBMC telomerase activity, but not leukocyte telomere length, correlates with hippocampal volume in major depression.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.01.007}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.01.007}},
  volume       = {{232}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}