| Title: |
The inflammatory and genetic mechanisms underlying the cumulative effect of co-occurring pain conditions on depression |
| Authors: |
Jiang, R; Geha, P; Rosenblatt, M; Wang, Y; Fu, Z; Foster, M; Dai, W; Calhoun, VD; Sui, J; Spann, MN; Scheinost, D |
| Publisher Information: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) |
| Description: |
Chronic pain conditions frequently coexist and share common genetic vulnerabilities. Despite evidence showing associations between pain and depression, the additive effect of co-occurring pain conditions on depression risk and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Leveraging data from 431,038 UK Biobank participants with 14-year follow-up, we found a significantly increased risk of depression incidence in individuals reporting pain, irrespective of body site or duration (acute or chronic), compared with pain-free individuals. The depression risk increased with the number of co-occurring pain sites. Mendelian randomization supported potential causal inference. We constructed a composite pain score by combining individual effects of acute or chronic pain conditions across eight body sites in a weighted manner. We found that depression risks increased monotonically in parallel with composite pain scores. Moreover, some inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, partially mediated the association between composite pain scores and depression risk. Considering the high prevalence of comorbid depression and pain, pain screening may help identify high-risk individuals for depression. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt1083 |
| DOI: |
10.1126/sciadv.adt1083 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt1083; https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9a9258ad-68c9-4574-8b9e-f7981729357d |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ; CC Attribution (CC BY) |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.395BF5AB |
| Database: |
BASE |