Understanding the Interplay between Air Pollution, Biological Variables, and Major Depressive Disorder: Rationale and Study Protocol of the DeprAir Study

Elisa Borroni, Angela Cecilia Pesatori, Guido Nosari, Paola Monti, Alessandro Ceresa, Luca Fedrizzi, Valentina Bollati, Massimiliano Buoli and Michele Carugno ()
Additional contact information
Elisa Borroni: EPIGET Lab, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via San Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy
Angela Cecilia Pesatori: EPIGET Lab, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via San Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy
Guido Nosari: Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy
Paola Monti: EPIGET Lab, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via San Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy
Alessandro Ceresa: Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy
Luca Fedrizzi: Occupational Health Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via san Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy
Valentina Bollati: EPIGET Lab, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via San Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy
Massimiliano Buoli: Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy
Michele Carugno: EPIGET Lab, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via San Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious and disabling condition, whose etiological mechanisms are not fully understood. The aim of the DeprAir study is to verify the hypothesis that air pollution exposure may exacerbate neuroinflammation with consequent alterations in DNA methylation of genes involved in circadian rhythms and hormonal dysregulation, resulting in the worsening of depressive symptoms. The study population consists of 420 depressed patients accessing the psychiatry unit of the Policlinico Hospital (Milan, Italy), from September 2020 to December 2022. Data collection is still ongoing for about 100 subjects. For each participant demographic and lifestyle information, depression history and characteristics, as well as blood samples, were collected. MDD severity was assessed through five rating scales commonly used in clinical practice to assess the severity of affective symptoms. Exposure to particulate and gaseous air pollutants is assigned to each subject using both air pollution monitoring station measurements and estimates derived from a chemical transport model. DeprAir is the first study investigating in a comprehensive picture whether air pollution exposure could be an important modifiable environmental factor associated with MDD severity and which biological mechanisms mediate the negative effect of air pollution on mental health. Its results will represent an opportunity for preventive strategies, thus entailing a tremendous impact on public health.

Keywords: major depressive disorder; air pollution; particulate matter; nitrogen dioxide; sulfur dioxide; ozone; DNA methylation; clock genes; inflammatory markers; hormones (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/5196/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/5196/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:6:p:5196-:d:1098275

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().