Associations between peripheral cytokines, perceived fatigue and event-related potentials during a sustained attention task in depressive episodes: a case-control study

Pedraz-Petrozzi, Bruno; Lamade, Eva Kathrin; Hübner, Nils; Seifert, Jil; Neumann, Elena; Sammer, Gebhard · 2023 · Crossref

DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3304499/v1

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Summary

This case-control study investigates the associations between peripheral inflammation, perceived fatigue, and event-related potentials (ERPs) during a sustained attention task in individuals with depressive episodes. Motivated by evidence linking depression to both cognitive impairment and systemic inflammation, the research aims to determine if inflammatory markers and fatigue levels correlate with electrophysiological indicators of attention, specifically the P300 component, and behavioral performance metrics. The study included 25 participants with depressive episodes (DE) and 31 healthy controls (HC). Participants completed a 15-minute sustained attention test (SAT) from the Test Battery for Attention while undergoing concurrent 32-lead EEG recordings. Peripheral inflammation was assessed via plasma concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Perceived fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Impact Scale. Data analysis employed linear mixed models for ERP components (P300 amplitude and latency) and generalized linear models for behavioral outcomes (accuracy and reaction time), controlling for age, sex, and group status. Results indicated that the DE group exhibited significantly lower P300 amplitudes compared to healthy controls. Across the entire sample, higher IL-6 concentrations were inversely associated with P300 amplitude, suggesting a link between inflammation and reduced neural response to stimuli. Conversely, higher perceived fatigue was unexpectedly associated with increased P300 amplitudes, though this finding was noted as having a low interaction effect and requiring cautious interpretation. Regarding behavioral performance, higher TNF-α levels were significantly associated with lower accuracy in the sustained attention task. No significant differences were found between groups for P300 latency or reaction time, nor were significant effects observed for IL-1β. The findings suggest that peripheral inflammation, particularly IL-6 and TNF-α, is associated with altered electrophysiological markers and reduced cognitive performance in sustained attention tasks, independent of depression diagnosis. The study highlights the potential role of inflammatory pathways in the neurocognitive symptoms of depression. However, the authors caution that the cross-sectional design prevents causal inference and that the unexpected positive correlation between fatigue and P300 amplitude contradicts existing literature, necessitating further longitudinal research to clarify these relationships.

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• neuro workload indices