Dataset Information

Comparison of post-COVID depression and major depressive disorder.

ABSTRACT:

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic rates of depressive symptoms are markedly elevated, particularly among survivors of infection. Understanding whether such symptoms are distinct among those with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, or simply a nonspecific reflection of elevated stress, could help target interventions.

Method

We analyzed data from multiple waves of a 50-state survey that included questions about COVID-19 infection as well as the Patient Health Questionnaire examining depressive and anxious symptoms. We utilized multiple logistic regression to examine whether sociodemographic features associated with depression liability differed for those with or without prior COVID-19, and then whether depressive symptoms differed among those with or without prior COVID-19.

Results

Among 91,791 respondents, in regression models, age, gender, race, education, and income all exhibited an interaction with prior COVID-19 in risk for moderate or greater depressive symptoms (p<0.0001 in all cases), indicating differential risk in the two subgroups. Among those with such symptoms, levels of motoric symptoms and suicidality were significantly greater among those with prior COVID-19 illness. Depression risk increased with greater interval following acute infection.

Discussion

Our results suggest that major depressive symptoms observed among individuals with prior COVID-19 illness may not reflect typical depressive episodes, and merit more focused neurobiological investigation.

SUBMITTER: Perlis RH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8020988 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a moderately heritable disorder with a high lifetime prevalence. At present, laboratory blood tests to support MDD diagnosis are not available. Methods: We used a classifier approach on blood gene expression profiles of a unique set of non-medicated subjects (MDD patients and controls) to select genes of which expression is predictive for disease status. To reveal blood gene expression changes related to MDD disease, we applied a powerful ex vivo stimulus to the blood, i.e. incubation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 ng/ml blood). Results: Based on LPS-stimulated blood gene expression using whole-genome microarrays in 42 subjects (primary cohort; 21 MDD patients (mean age 42.3 years), 21 healthy controls (mean age 41.9 years)), we identified a set of genes (CAPRIN1, CLEC4A, KRT23, MLC1, PLSCR1, PROK2, ZBTB16) that serves as a molecular signature of MDD. These findings were validated for the primary cohort using an independent quantitative PCR method (P = 0.007). The difference between depressive patients and controls was confirmed (P = 0.019) in a replication cohort of 13 patients with MDD (mean age 42.8 years) and 14 controls (mean age 45.6 years). The MDD-signature score comprised of expression levels of 7 genes could discriminate depressive patients from controls with sensitivity of 76.9% and specificity of 71.8%. Conclusions: We show for the first time that molecular analysis of stimulated blood cells can be used as an endophenotype for MDD diagnosis, which is a milestone in establishing biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorders with moderate heritability in general. Our results may provide a new entry point for following and predicting treatment outcome, as well as prediction of severity and recurrence of MDD. In total, 33 MDD patients and 34 healthy controls were analyzed using basal gene expression in whole blood, and gene expression from whole blood that was stimulated with LPS for 5-6 h, using microarrays. Patients were arbitrarily selected from all patients to serve as primary cohort (nMDD = 21 (MDD01-MDD21); nControls = 21 (Con01-Con21)), or replication cohort (nMDD = 12 (MDD22-MDD35); nControls = 13 (Con22-Con37)) using microarrays. This submission does not include Samples CON21_LPS or CON30_LPS.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder are prevalent and debilitating psychiatric disorders that are difficult to distinguish, as their diagnosis is based on behavioural observations and subjective symptoms. Quantitative protein profile analysis might help to objectively distinguish between these disorders and increase our understanding of their pathophysiology. Thus, this study was conducted to compare the peripheral protein profiles between the two disorders. METHODS:Serum samples were collected from 18 subjects with major depressive disorder and 15 subjects with bipolar disorder. After depleting abundant proteins, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and label-free quantification were performed. Data-dependent acquisition data were statistically analysed from the samples of 15 subjects with major depressive disorder and 10 subjects with bipolar disorder who were psychotropic drug-free. Two-sided t-tests were performed for pairwise comparisons of proteomes to detect differentially-expressed proteins (DEPs). Ingenuity Pathway Analysis of canonical pathways, disease and functions, and protein networks based on these DEPs was further conducted. RESULTS:Fourteen DEPs were significant between subjects with major depressive disorder and those with bipolar disorder. Ras-related protein Rab-7a (t = 5.975, p = 4.3 × 10- 6) and Rho-associated protein kinase 2 (t = 4.782, p = 8.0 × 10- 5) were significantly overexpressed in subjects with major depressive disorder and Exportin-7 (t = -4.520, p = 1.5 × 10- 4) was significantly overexpressed in subjects with bipolar disorder after considering multiple comparisons. Bioinformatics analysis showed that cellular functions and inflammation/immune pathways were significantly different. CONCLUSIONS:Ras-related protein Rab-7a, Rho-associated protein kinase 2, and Exportin-7 were identified as potential peripheral protein candidates to distinguish major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Further large sample studies with longitudinal designs and validation processes are warranted.