Abstract
Mood disorders are a significant health concern worldwide. Prevalence rates are high, and they are associated with reduced quality of life and poor health outcomes, including substantial morbidity and mortality. The aetiology of mood disorders is multifactorial, involving a combination of biological, psychological, environmental and social factors. Many individuals treated for mood disorders remain resistant to treatment, and may exhibit clinically significant residual symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, and psychosocial impairment. Recent research has recognised an association between higher levels of inflammation in patients with mood disorders. This suggests that inflammation may be involved in mood disorder aetiology and may therefore be a possible new target for mental health therapy, thus potentially aiding in the care of people suffering from these disabling disorders and helping inform care provided by nurses.
The current interim analysis is part of a larger randomised controlled trial, and aimed to investigate whether higher levels of inflammation, measured as plasma concentrations of inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha, is observed in patients with mood disorders (n = 39) compared to healthy controls (n = 14). It also aimed to investigate whether levels of inflammation change over time with the addition of cognitive remediation to standard therapy. Sample analysis was conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure plasma TNF-alpha concentrations in mood disorder participants compared to healthy controls, and baseline and 12 month follow up concentrations in mood disorder participants.
This study did not demonstrate increased inflammation in mood disorder participants compared to controls, nor did levels of inflammation change over time with treatment. A major limitation of this analysis is its lack of power due to a small sample size, however as this study is an interim analysis, research is ongoing and further samples are being collected which will address this issue. Further research investigating a broader range of inflammatory biomarkers is also recommended.