The physio-affective phenome of major depression is strongly associated with biomarkers of astroglial and neuronal projection toxicity which in turn are associated with peripheral inflammation, insulin resistance and lowered calcium

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by elevated activity of peripheral neuro-immune and neuro-oxidative pathways, which may cause neuro-affective toxicity by disrupting neuronal circuits in the brain. No study has explored peripheral indicators of neuroaxis damage in MDD in relation to serum inflam-matory and insulin resistance (IR) biomarkers, calcium, and the physio-affective phenome consisting of depressive, anxious, chronic fatigue, and physiosomatic symptoms.Methods: Serum levels of phosphorylated tau protein 217 (P-tau217), platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFR), neurofilament light chain (NF-L), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), C-reactive protein (CRP), calcium and the HOMA2-insulin resistance (IR) index were measured in 94 MDD patients and 47 controls.Results: 61.1 % of the variance in the physio-affective phenome (conceptualized as a factor extracted from depression, anxiety, fatigue and physiosomatic symptoms) is explained by the regression on GFAP, NF-L, P-tau2017, PDGFR beta and HOMA2-IR (all positively associated), and decreased calcium. In addition, CRP and HOMA2-IR predicted 28.9 % of the variance in the neuroaxis index. We observed significant indirect effects of CRP and calcium on the physio-affective phenome which were partly mediated by the four neuroaxis biomarkers. Annotation and enrichment analysis revealed that the enlarged GFAP, P-tau217, PDGFR, and NF-L network was enriched in glial cell and neuronal projections, the cytoskeleton and axonal transport, including a mitochondrion.Conclusions: Peripheral inflammation and IR may damage the astroglial and neuronal projections thereby interfering with mitochondrial transport. This neurotoxicity, combined with inflammation, IR and lowered calcium, may, at least in part, induce the phenome of MDD.

Automated summary

This study found that peripheral indicators of neuroaxis damage in MDD were associated with serum inflammatory and insulin resistance markers, calcium, and the physio-affective phenome. CRP and HOMA2-IR predicted 28.9% of the variance in the neuroaxis index. Peripheral inflammation and insulin resistance may damage astroglial and neuronal projections, interfering with mitochondrial transport and contributing to the phenome of MDD.