Telomere attrition and inflammatory load in major depressive disorder

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) present features that suggest the involvement of accelerated aging, such as increased circulating inflammatory markers and shorter telomere length (TL). Here we measured T-lymphocytes TL with quantitative fluorescent in situ hybridization (Q-FISH) and plasma levels of inflammatory markers in a cohort of 37 patients with MDD and 36 non-psychiatric controls (C). TL was shorter in MDD compared to C (F=8.52, p=0.005). Patients with treatment resistant (TR) MDD showed higher levels of TNFα compared to non-TR (adjusted p= 0.034) and C (adjusted p=0.025), suggesting that treatment resistance might be associated with increased inflammation compared to non-TR. DISCLOSURE: No significant relationships.