The DeprAir project
This research is part of the projects funded by the CARIPLO Foundation (project code: 2019-3354).
Major Depressive Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder is a psychiatric condition affecting up to 10% of the general population over their lifetime, associated with high disability, significant social costs, and low quality of life.
The onset of the disorder is linked to an imbalance in the release of neurotransmitters (especially serotonin and norepinephrine) in the central nervous system. The alteration in serotonergic and noradrenergic transmission may be the consequence of exposure to environmental factors in individuals with biological vulnerability (e.g., those with a family history of depression).
How much does air pollution affect it?
Supporting this hypothesis, recent studies have shown that air pollution may be associated with the onset of Major Depressive Disorder or with its symptomatic exacerbation.
On the other hand, individuals susceptible to mood disorders seem to be characterized by an excessive inflammatory response to environmental stimuli, which in turn is responsible for epigenetic alterations (i.e., in the expression of our genetic heritage) and hormonal changes associated with the development of depressive disorder and/or its increased severity.
Project objectives
Our hypothesis is that exposure to air pollution may influence the severity of Major Depressive Disorder through the impairment of various biological systems, including increased general inflammation, hormonal alterations, and changes in the expression of our genes, particularly those regulating circadian rhythms such as the sleep-wake cycle (“clock” genes).
To test this hypothesis, we intend to:
I
estimate the short-term effect of air quality on the severity of depressive symptoms;
II
study the association between air pollution and biological variables such as inflammatory, epigenetic, and hormonal biomarkers;
III
verify if the biological variables identified as altered by air pollution predict the severity of Major Depressive Disorder;
IV
Summarize in a comprehensive picture the role that air pollution and biological markers play in contributing to the severity of depressive disorder.
Our project therefore aims to understand the biological (inflammatory, hormonal, and epigenetic) mechanisms associated with the severity of Major Depressive Disorder (assessed using specific scales) and to evaluate the effect of air pollution on these biological parameters and consequently on the prognosis of individuals with depressive disorder.
Expected results
We therefore expect to:
- Clarify the role of exposure to poor air quality on the severity of depressive symptoms;
- Deepen the understanding of the biological mechanisms that influence the severity of Major Depressive Disorder, identifying a set of biomarkers that can predict its severity;
- Verify how exposure to air pollution affects inflammatory, epigenetic, and hormonal alterations;
- Clarify the role that each element of the hypothesized pathogenetic pathway (air pollution and inflammatory, epigenetic, and hormonal variables) could have in determining the severity of depressive disorder.
DeprAir Researchers
Prof. Michele Carugno
SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR OF THE PROJECT
Occupational Physician, "Luigi Devoto" Occupational Clinic, Occupational Medicine Unit – Epidemiology Division, IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Foundation
Associate Professor of Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, University of Milan
PROF. VALENTINA BOLLATI
LABORATORY ANALYSIS COORDINATOR
Director of the Environmental Epigenetics Laboratory, University of Milan
Associate Professor of Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, University of Milan
Prof.Massimiliano Buoli
DISSEMINATION PLAN COORDINATOR
Psychiatrist, Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Foundation
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Medical-Surgical Physiopathology and Transplantation, University of Milan
Dr. Guido Nosari
POPULATION RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR
<emPsychiatrist, Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Foundation
