Ulm University, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy III, Germany.
Ulm University, Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Germany.
Psychiatry Res. 2024 May;335:115855. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115855. Epub 2024 Mar 16.
Depression is linked to stress which leaves traces in the epigenetic signature of genes. The oxytocin system is implicated in allostatic processes promoting adaption to environmental stressors. Interactions of the oxytocin system with the environment, e.g., methylation of the gene coding for oxytocin (OXT), are candidates for the investigation of the biological underpinnings of depression. Recently, we found hypomethylation of OXT in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) compared to healthy controls (HC). Since the replicability of findings is a key point of criticism in (epi‑)genetic research, we aimed to confirm our previous findings in a pre-registered study (data was stored in a database prior to pre-registration) within a new sample of n = 85 patients with MDD and n = 85 HC. We investigated OXT DNA-methylation in peripheral blood samples, stressful life events and depression severity. In accordance with our previous study, we found hypomethylation of OXT in patients with MDD compared to HC. Methylation was not associated with stressful life events. Patients reported significantly more stressful life events compared to HC. Our study revealed that hypomethylation of OXT can be demonstrated in a reproducible fashion and provides further evidence for the involvement of the oxytocin system in depression.
抑郁与压力有关，压力会在基因的表观遗传特征中留下痕迹。催产素系统与适应环境应激源的全身适应过程有关。催产素系统与环境的相互作用，例如催产素（OXT）编码基因的甲基化，是研究抑郁生物学基础的候选因素。最近，我们发现与健康对照组（HC）相比，重度抑郁症（MDD）患者的 OXT 出现低甲基化。由于（表观）遗传学研究的一个关键批评点是发现的可重复性，因此我们旨在在新的 MDD 患者 n = 85 例和 HC n = 85 例的样本中，通过预先注册的研究（数据在预先注册之前存储在数据库中）来证实我们之前的发现。我们调查了外周血样本中的 OXT DNA 甲基化、生活应激事件和抑郁严重程度。与我们之前的研究一致，我们发现 MDD 患者的 OXT 出现低甲基化，而 HC 则没有。甲基化与生活应激事件无关。与 HC 相比，患者报告的生活应激事件明显更多。我们的研究表明，OXT 的低甲基化可以以可重复的方式得到证明，并为催产素系统参与抑郁提供了进一步的证据。
