Brief mindfulness training reduces salivary IL-6 and TNF-α in young women with depressive symptomatology.

Abstract

Objective Pro-inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathophysiology and maintenance of depression. This study investigated the effects of a brief mindfulness intervention on salivary pro-inflammatory correlates of depression (IL-6, TNF-α) and self-reported symptoms of depression in college women. Methods Sixty-four females with a cut score of ≥ 16 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies for Depression Scale (CES-D) were assigned to a 4-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI; N=31) or a contact-control group (N=33). For both groups, salivary cytokines and depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and post-treatment. For the mindfulness group only, salivary cytokines were also assessed at a 3-month follow-up. Results Both groups showed similar reductions in depression. However, MBI (vs. control) predicted greater reductions in IL-6 and TNF-α; changes in IL-6 were sustained at 3-month follow-up. Higher baseline depressive symptoms predicted greater reductions in inflammation in the mindfulness group. Conclusion MBIs may reduce inflammatory immune markers commonly implicated in depression. Individuals with greater depressive symptoms may benefit more from mindfulness training. Although reductions in salivary cytokines in the mindfulness condition were not attributable to changes in depressive symptoms, future work should examine the possibility that such reductions are protective against the development of future depressive episodes. Public Health Significance Pro-inflammatory cytokines, which have been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression, may be reduced following brief mindfulness training among healthy young women with depressive symptomatology, particularly for those with higher baseline symptoms. These findings may highlight an important treatment target for reducing risk of depressive disorders via mindfulness-based interventions.

Immune dysregulation among students exposed to exam stress and its mitigation by mindfulness training: findings from an exploratory randomised trial

“…The small sample size precluded further adjusting. (b) Individuals trained in mindfulness will show less pro-inflammatory dysregulation 35,62 . To test this hypothesis, we used random intercept models including each cell-type/humoral and arm data.…”

“…Other randomised trials of community samples also failed to find effects on CRP 35,59 and cell counts 60 , although mindfulness meditation significantly influenced TNF-α levels in healthy individuals when individual studies were combined in a meta-analysis. Trials on clinically anxious or depressed populations found significant effects on TNF-α with samples of 60-70 participants 61,62 ; however a recent actively controlled trial with HIV patients failed to find any effects 63,27 .…”

Role of Interleukin-6 in Depressive Disorder

“…In a randomized clinical trial in MDD patients, results showed that serum IL-6 levels, as well as depression severity, significantly decreased after 16 sessions of supportive-expressive dynamic psychotherapy [123]. It was found that after individual mindfulness training, the salivary IL-6 levels had decreased, which was maintained for 3 months, in a study testing the application of brief mindfulness intervention in young women with depressive symptomatology [124]. One small scale study with 11 women in the first episode of depression treated with cognitive behavioral therapy alone demonstrated that cognitive behavioral therapy reduced both depressive symptoms and the serum IL-6 levels [125].…”

Interpersonal life stress, inflammation, and depression in adolescence: Testing Social Signal Transduction Theory of Depression

“…Third, salivary cytokines are associated with several somatic disease conditions (e.g., asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer; Zhang et al, 2016) in addition to depressive symptoms (Keller, El-Sheikh, Vaughn, & Granger, 2010). Finally, intervention studies have shown that salivary cytokine levels subside during mindfulness training for depression (Walsh, Eisenlohr-Moul, & Baer, 2016).…”