Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, National Clinical Key Cardiovascular Specialty, Key Laboratory of Children's Important Organ Development and Diseases of Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, Chongqing, China.
Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, National Clinical Key Cardiovascular Specialty, Key Laboratory of Children's Important Organ Development and Diseases of Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, Chongqing, China.
J Affect Disord. 2025 Jan 1;368:591-598. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.09.063. Epub 2024 Sep 12.
Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfl), identified as a promising biomarker, is a protein released into the bloodstream post-axonal damage. Studies on its correlation with depression, however, remains scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between sNfL levels and risk of depression among a representative segment of the U. S. populace.
This study included 1,909 participants from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9 scale) assessed depression symptoms, while sNfl concentrations were measured using the Attelica fully automated immunoassay system. The logistic regression, restricted cubic splines (RCS), and subgroup analysis were performed to assess the relationship between sNfL, lnsNfL (log-transformed values of sNfl), and depression.
After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, lifestyle, and chronic conditions, sNfl and lnsNfL levels positively correlated with depression. A unit increase in sNfL and lnsNfL levels was linked to a 0.7 % and 33.8 % rise in depression risk, respectively [OR (95 % CI): 1.007 (1.000, 1.014), p = 0.041 for sNfl; 1.338 (1.015, 1.764), p = 0.039 for lnsNfl]. Additionally, a positive linear association was observed between lnsNfl levels and the risk of depression (p for overall = 0.039, p for nonlinear = 0.189 in RCS). No significant differences were observed across subgroups between lnsNfl and depression, with no significant impact on this relationship from subgroups (All p for interaction >0.05).
The findings of our study suggest a significant positive correlation between sNfl and depression, warranting further investigation into the molecular dynamics linking sNfL to depression and subgroup variability.
血清神经丝轻链（sNfl）被鉴定为一种很有前途的生物标志物，它是一种在轴突损伤后释放到血液中的蛋白质。然而，关于它与抑郁症的相关性的研究仍然很少。本研究的目的是调查 sNfL 水平与美国代表性人群中抑郁症风险之间的潜在关系。
本研究纳入了 2013-2014 年全国健康与营养调查中的 1909 名参与者。使用 9 项患者健康问卷（PHQ-9 量表）评估抑郁症状，同时使用 Attelica 全自动免疫分析系统测量 sNfl 浓度。使用逻辑回归、限制立方样条（RCS）和亚组分析评估 sNfL、ln sNfL（sNfl 的对数转换值）与抑郁之间的关系。
在调整了社会人口统计学变量、生活方式和慢性疾病后，sNfl 和 lnsNfL 水平与抑郁呈正相关。sNfl 和 lnsNfL 水平每增加一个单位，抑郁风险分别增加 0.7%和 33.8%[比值比（95%置信区间）：1.007（1.000，1.014），p=0.041 用于 sNfl；1.338（1.015，1.764），p=0.039 用于 lnsNfl]。此外，ln sNfl 水平与抑郁风险之间存在正线性关系（p 总=0.039，RCS 中非线性 p=0.189）。ln sNfl 与抑郁之间在亚组之间没有观察到显著差异，亚组对这种关系没有显著影响（所有交互作用 p>0.05）。
本研究的结果表明 sNfl 与抑郁之间存在显著的正相关，这表明需要进一步研究将 sNfL 与抑郁联系起来的分子动力学以及亚组变异性。
