Aging Signal in Monocytes Tied to Mood Symptoms of Depression, Study Finds

Overview

• The peer-reviewed study, published Monday in The Journals of Gerontology, links faster aging in monocytes to non-somatic depression symptoms such as anhedonia and hopelessness.
• A broad multi-tissue epigenetic clock showed no link to these symptoms, underscoring the value of cell-type–specific measures.
• Researchers studied 440 women in the Women’s Interagency HIV Study, using CES-D surveys to parse physical from mood and thinking symptoms and blood tests that estimate biological age from DNA marks.
• The association held in women with and without HIV, a high-risk group for depression, suggesting a route to earlier detection that focuses on cognitive and mood changes.
• The authors call the work preliminary and not ready for clinical use and note NIMH and NIMHD funding as they seek larger, long-term and mechanistic studies.