DNA Of Child Abuse Victims And Patients With Depression AGES Faster

• In the most severe cases of depression, a sufferer's DNA can be 15 years older
• Experiencing childhood neglect or abuse also raises the risk of 'inner ageing'
• Helps identify depressed patients at risk of age-related diseases like dementia 

The DNA of depressed patients is eight months older than healthy people's, research suggests.

And in the most severe cases of depression, a sufferer's genetic material can be up to 15 years older than those without the mental-health condition, according to a study of more than 1,000 people.

Those who experienced trauma as children, such as neglect or sexual abuse, are the most 'biologically aged', the research adds.

Researchers, at the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, believe the study may help to identify depressed patients who are more at risk of age-related diseases, such as cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer's.

The researchers analysed 811 depressed patients and 319 people without the mental-health condition from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety.

Depression was diagnosed via questionnaires and psychiatric interviews. 

Blood samples were taken from all of the participants to examine their DNA.

The body can modify a person's genetic material by adding a methane-like substance to its structure.

This can change a gene's function without actually altering the DNA sequence itself.

Results suggest that, on average, depressed patients have DNA that is around eight months older than their healthy counterparts.

In the most extreme cases of depression, the depressed participants' DNA was between 10 and 15 years older than their actual age.

'What we see is in fact an ‘epigenetic clock, where the patterns of modification of the body’s DNA is an indicator of biological age,' lead author Laura Han said.

'And this clock seems to run faster in those who are currently depressed or have been stressed.'

To check the findings, the scientists then examined post-mortem brain samples from 74 depressed patients and 64 controls.

The outcomes were similar.

'The fact that we saw similar results in both blood samples and post-mortem brain tissue helps support the belief that this is a real effect we are seeing,' Ms Han added.

The participants were also asked about any trauma they experienced before they were 16.

This may include emotional neglect, or sexual or physical abuse.

On average, those who underwent childhood trauma had a body clock that was 1.06 years older than controls.

The study was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry and presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology conference in Barcelona. 

Professor Katharina Domschke, at the University of Freiburg, Germany, who was not involved in the study, said: 'This work extremely important as it signifies the biological impact of trauma and depression on an epigenetic level and the necessity to employ preventive as well as early therapeutic interventions'.

The results further suggest differences in DNA ageing were more pronounced among the participants in their 50s or 60s.

The researchers therefore believe DNA ageing may serve as an early-warning sign for certain age-related diseases.

They add, however, longer studies are needed to confirm this.

One in six adults in the UK experiences a mental health problem like depression in any given week, according to Mental Health Foundation.

Mental-health conditions affect a similar number of people in the US.

This comes after a report released earlier this month claimed delays in mental health treatment are 'ruining people's lives'.

Patients with conditions ranging from depression to bipolar disorder are waiting so long for NHS care they end up unemployed, divorced or broke as a result, a Royal College of Psychiatrists survey found.


Source: dailymail.co