TY - JOUR
T1 - Telomere length in psychiatric disorders
T2 - Is it more than an ageing marker?
AU - Monroy-Jaramillo, Nancy
AU - Dyukova, Elena
AU - Walss-Bass, Consuelo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Copyright:
Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2018/10/31
Y1 - 2018/10/31
N2 - Objectives: Psychiatric and substance-use disorders have been associated with premature biological ageing. Telomere length (TL), considered an ageing marker, has been analysed in psychiatric disorders, and to a lesser extent in substance-use disorders, with recent findings suggesting TL may be related to disease pathology. Methods: We conducted a critical and non-systematic literature search of TL studies published up to June 2016 in psychiatric and substance-use disorders, focussing on studies describing mechanisms, including studies linking telomere biology with genetic factors, stress and mitochondrial alterations (104 studies selected). Results: Patients with major depressive disorder and anxiety appear to have shorter leukocyte telomeres compared to controls. Inconclusive results are found for other psychiatric disorders and for substance-use disorders. This may be due in part to differences in medication treatment and response, as studies suggest that some psychotropic medications may modulate TL. Importantly, some studies establish a relationship between telomere machinery, stress and mitochondria function in psychiatric and substance-use disorders. Conclusions: While further longitudinal studies considering telomere genetics are needed to clarify the cause–effect link between telomeres and mitochondria function in psychiatric and substance-use disorders, the recent findings linking these biological processes suggest that telomeres may be more than ageing markers.
AB - Objectives: Psychiatric and substance-use disorders have been associated with premature biological ageing. Telomere length (TL), considered an ageing marker, has been analysed in psychiatric disorders, and to a lesser extent in substance-use disorders, with recent findings suggesting TL may be related to disease pathology. Methods: We conducted a critical and non-systematic literature search of TL studies published up to June 2016 in psychiatric and substance-use disorders, focussing on studies describing mechanisms, including studies linking telomere biology with genetic factors, stress and mitochondrial alterations (104 studies selected). Results: Patients with major depressive disorder and anxiety appear to have shorter leukocyte telomeres compared to controls. Inconclusive results are found for other psychiatric disorders and for substance-use disorders. This may be due in part to differences in medication treatment and response, as studies suggest that some psychotropic medications may modulate TL. Importantly, some studies establish a relationship between telomere machinery, stress and mitochondria function in psychiatric and substance-use disorders. Conclusions: While further longitudinal studies considering telomere genetics are needed to clarify the cause–effect link between telomeres and mitochondria function in psychiatric and substance-use disorders, the recent findings linking these biological processes suggest that telomeres may be more than ageing markers.
KW - Telomere length
KW - ageing markers
KW - psychiatric disorders
KW - substance-use disorders
KW - telomerase activity
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U2 - 10.1080/15622975.2016.1273550
DO - 10.1080/15622975.2016.1273550
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85010690624
VL - 19
SP - S2-S20
JO - World Journal of Biological Psychiatry
JF - World Journal of Biological Psychiatry
SN - 1562-2975
IS - sup2
ER -