Original scientific paper

PATHWAYS LINKING EARLY LIFE STRESS, METABOLIC SYNDROME, AND THE INFLAMMATORY MARKER FIBRINOGEN IN DEPRESSED INPATIENTS

Sara Zeugmann ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
Arnim Quante ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
Louchka Popova-Zeugmann ; Department of Computer Science, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Wolfgang Kössler ; Department of Computer Science, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Isabella Heuser ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
Ion Anghelescu ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany

Abstract

Background: Previous research has shown that metabolic syndrome as well as early life stress can account for
immunoactivation (e.g. in the form of altered fibrinogen levels) in patients with major depression. This study aims at assessing the
relationship between components of metabolic syndrome, early life stress and fibrinogen levels, taking the severity of depression into
consideration.
Subjects and methods: Measures of early life stress and signs of metabolic syndrome were collected in 58 adult inpatients
diagnosed with depression. The relationships between the factors were assessed by means of path analyses. Two main models were
tested: the first model with metabolic syndrome mediating between early life stress and fibrinogen levels and the second model
without the mediating effect of metabolic syndrome.
Results: The first model was not supported by our data (χ²=7.02, df=1, p=0.008, CFI=0.00, NNFI=-9.44, RMSEA=0.50). The
second model however provided an excellent fit for the data (χ²=0.02, df=1, p=0.90, CFI=1.00, NNFI=2.71, RMSEA=0.00).
Extending the models by introducing severity of depression into them did not yield good indices of fit.
Conclusions: The developmental trajectory between early life stress and inflammation appears not to be mediated by metabolic
syndrome associated factors in our sample. Possible reasons including severity and type of early life stress, as well as potential
epigenetic influences are discussed.

Keywords

early life stress; metabolic syndrome; inflammatory; fibrinogen; depression

Hrčak ID:

106204

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/106204

Publication date:

25.3.2012.

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