AUTHOR=Stapel Britta , Jelinic Maria , Drummond Grant R. , Hartung Dagmar , Kahl Kai G. 

TITLE=Adipose Tissue Compartments, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Risk in the Context of Depression

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.831358

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.831358

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=The neurobiological and behavioral underpinnings linking mental disorders, in particular major depressive disorder, with cardiovascular disorders is a matter of debate. Recent research focused on visceral (intra-abdominal and epicardial) adipose tissue and inflammation and their impact on the development of cardiometabolic disorders. Intra-abdominal adipose tissue is defined as an endocrine active fat compartment surrounding inner organs and has been associated with type-2 diabetes mellitus, a risk factor for the later development of cardiovascular disorders. Epicardial (pericardial) adipose tissue is a fat compartment surrounding the heart, with close proximity to the arteries supporting the heart. Visceral adipose tissue is an important source of inflammatory mediators that in concert with other risk factors play a leading role in cardiovascular diseases. In conjunction with the behavioral (physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle), psychological (adherence problems) and hormonal (dysfunction of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis with subsequent hypercortisolism) alterations frequently accompanying major depressive disorder, an enhanced risk for cardiovascular disorders results.