title: Increased stress-induced inflammatory responses in male patients with major depression and increased early life stress.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors sought to determine innate immune system activation following psychosocial stress in patients with major depression and increased early life stress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma interleukin (IL)-6, lymphocyte subsets, and DNA binding of nuclear factor (NF)-kB in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were compared in medically healthy male subjects with current major depression and increased early life stress (N=14) versus nondepressed male comparison subjects (N=14) before and after completion of the Trier Social Stress Test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Trier Social Stress Test-induced increases in IL-6 and NF-kappaB DNA-binding were greater in major depression patients with increased early life stress and independently correlated with depression severity, but not early life stress. Natural killer (NK) cell percentages also increased following stress. However, there were no differences between groups and no correlation between NK cell percentage and stress-induced NF-kappaB DNA-binding or IL-6.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Male major depression patients with increased early life stress exhibit enhanced inflammatory responsiveness to psychosocial stress, providing preliminary indication of a link between major depression, early life stress and adverse health outcomes in diseases associated with inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Thaddeus W W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: Tanja C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Mletzko
authors.forename: Oyetunde
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Alagbe
authors.forename: Dominique L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Musselman
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Nemeroff
authors.forename: Andrew H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Heim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002452:Cell Count; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6