Distress and DNA repair in human lymphocytes.
This research assessed differences in DNA repair in lymphocytes from high- and low-distressed individuals. A median split on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Scale 2 divided 28 newly admitted nonpsychotic psychiatric inpatients into high- and low-distress subgroups. The high-distress subgroup had significantly poorer DNA repair in lymphocytes exposed to X-irradiation than low-distress subjects. We also found that lymphocytes obtained from this psychiatric sample had significantly poorer DNA repair than lymphocytes from nonpsychiatric control subjects when compared 5 hr after X-irradiation. A high level of distress therefore appears to be associated with significant dysfunctional differences at the molecular level which may have important implications for health. These data provide evidence for a direct pathway through which distress could influence the incidence of cancer.
D000328:Adult; D004260:DNA Repair; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D012306:Risk; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*