Understanding Cardiovascular Disease in Mental Health/Stress Disorder
Abstract
This proposed study is in response to Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) Portfolio (Cardiovascular Health); FY22 PRMRP Topic Area (Cardiomyopathy); FY22 PRMRP Strategic Goal Prevention (Predict and prevent potential impact of extreme environments, posttraumatic stress disorder, and/or infections on cardiovascular health). Mental health disorder is of public health significance. One in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. Reports have shown that a significant percentage of Veterans deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from depression and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mental disorders such as major depressive disorder, psychosis, and PTSD have been shown to increase risk for developing cardiovascular diseases. However, the underlying mechanism for such risk is poorly understood and is understudied. In this study, we will investigate the cause-effect relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this regard, our preliminary studies from our laboratory have shown that secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is low in mice subjected to experimental depression studies. Similar data has been observed in clinical patients with depression. Low blood levels of BDNF have been negative effects in depression, bipolar disorder, and mania. Interestingly, neurotrophins (NTs) are also reported to influence hypertension, atherosclerosis, and myocardial disease. BDNF is synthesized in the body by conversion from pro-BDNF. BDNF and pro-BDNF have opposite effects on blood vessels, heart cells, etc. We speculate that the reduced BDNF or higher pro-BDNF during depression affects cells in the heart such as survival and function of cardiomyocytes and vascular endothelial cells. Our proposed study will systematically investigate whether heart dysfunction during depression is due to cardiomyocyte cell death or vascular cell malfunction. We will use models of depression, pharmacology, and molecular biology tools to investigate the proposed hypotheses. Short-term and long-term impact of our study: In the short term, we hope our proposed study will help understand the molecular mechanism of CVD during depression. Also, our long-term goal is that our studies might identify new molecular signals that could targeted to inhibit development of CVD in patients with depression.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2024
- Source ID
- HT94252310278
Entities
People
- Prasanna Krishnamurthy
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Alabama at Birmingham