LPS-Induced Whole-Blood Cytokine Production and Depressive Symptoms in Dementia Spousal Caregivers: The Moderating Effect of Childhood Trauma

Authors

Daniel L Argueta
Kelly N Brice
E Lydia Wu-Chung
Michelle A Chen
Vincent D Lai
Jensine Paoletti-Hatcher
Bryan T Denny
Charles Green
Luis D Medina
Paul Schulz
Jennifer Stinson
Cobi Heijnen
Christopher P Fagundes

Publication Date

10-1-2024

Journal

Psychoneuroendocrinology

DOI

10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107140

PMID

39032477

PMCID

PMC12207288

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

6-30-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

Dementia spousal caregivers are at risk for adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Caregiver burden, anticipatory grief, and proinflammatory cytokine production may contribute to depressive symptoms among caregivers. People who report childhood trauma are more likely to have exaggerated stress responses that may also contribute to depressive symptoms in adulthood. This study aimed to test whether the relationship between whole-blood cytokine production and depressive symptoms is strongest in caregivers who report high levels of childhood trauma.

Methods: A sample of 103 dementia spousal caregivers provided self-report data on demographics, health information, caregiver burden, anticipatory grief, and depressive symptoms. We also determined lipopolysaccharide-induced whole-blood cytokine production as the primary measure of immune cell reactivity. We measured interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) and converted z-scores of each cytokine into a composite panel. We regressed depressive symptoms on proinflammatory cytokine production, caregiver burden, and anticipatory grief, adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates.

Results: Whole-blood cytokine production and childhood trauma were associated with depressive symptoms. Childhood trauma moderated the relationship between whole-blood cytokine production and depressive symptoms. Whole-blood cytokine production was only associated with depressive symptoms at mean and high levels of childhood trauma, but not at low levels of childhood trauma. The main effects of burden and anticipatory grief on depressive symptoms were strongest for caregivers reporting high levels of childhood trauma.

Discussion: Childhood trauma has lasting impacts on psychosocial experiences later in life and has effects that may confer susceptibility to inflammation-related depression. Our findings contribute to ongoing efforts to identify risk factors for adverse mental health in dementia spousal caregivers.

Keywords

Humans, Female, Caregivers, Male, Depression, Aged, Dementia, Cytokines, Spouses, Middle Aged, Lipopolysaccharides, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, Interleukin-6, Grief, Interleukin-10, Interleukin-1beta, Caregiver Burden, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Aged, 80 and over, Stress, Psychological

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Argueta, Daniel L; Brice, Kelly N; Wu-Chung, E Lydia; et al., "LPS-Induced Whole-Blood Cytokine Production and Depressive Symptoms in Dementia Spousal Caregivers: The Moderating Effect of Childhood Trauma" (2024). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 4989.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthgsbs_docs/4989