Preliminary results of anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations predicting therapy outcome in panic disorder

Vanessa Renner; Rupert Conrad; Clemens Kirschbaum; Thomas Lorenz; Katja Petrowski

doi:10.1016/j.cpnec.2024.100227

Preliminary results of anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations predicting therapy outcome in panic disorder

Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2024 Feb 12:17:100227. doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2024.100227. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Authors

Vanessa Renner¹, Rupert Conrad², Clemens Kirschbaum³, Thomas Lorenz⁴, Katja Petrowski¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
² Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149, Muenster, Germany.
³ Department of Psychology, Institute of Biological Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 19, 01069, Dresden, Germany.
⁴ University Medical Center Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.

Abstract

Background: Patients with panic disorder (PD) show alterations of the immune reactivity to acute stress, which could serve as a marker for effective treatment. Nevertheless, the effect of immune reactivity under acute stress before treatment on therapy outcome remains unclear.

Methods: A total of N = 16 PD patients performed the Trier Social Test. Blood sample collection of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 accompanied the TSST. The Mobility Inventory was handed out for the assessment of avoidance behavior before and after treatment. Area under the curve with respect to the ground (AUC_G) and increase (AUC_I) were calculated for assessed cytokine levels and were used as predictors for therapy outcome in regression analyses.

Results: AUC_G significantly predicts avoidance behavior in company after treatment (β = -0.007, p = .033) but not avoidance behavior alone (β = -0.003, p = .264). AUC_I does not significantly predict therapy outcome.

Conclusion: Higher concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 under acute stress before treatment predicts less avoidance behavior in company after therapy. Immune markers seem to play a crucial role in the maintenance of mental disorders such as PD. Underlying mechanisms and IL-10 as a marker for individualized treatments should be investigated in future studies.

Keywords: Cytokines; Panic disorder; TSST.