@article{ref1,
title="The role of inflammatory cytokines in suicidal behavior: A systematic review",
journal="European Neuropsychopharmacology",
year="2013",
author="Serafini, Gianluca and Pompili, Maurizio and Elena Seretti, Maria and Stefani, Henry and Palermo, Mario and Coryell, William and Girardi, Paolo",
volume="23",
number="12",
pages="1672-1686",
abstract="There is growing evidence that inflammatory mediators play a critical role in the pathophysiology of both major depression and suicidal behavior. Immunological differences have been reported in both major affective disorders and suicidal behavior. Specifically, increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines have been shown to correlate with the severity of depression and various cytokines have been identified as potentially important in understanding the pathophysiology of major affective disorders/suicidality. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of the current literature to investigate the association between inflammatory cytokines and suicidal behavior. Only articles from peer-reviewed journals were selected for inclusion in the present review. Most studies documented the association between suicidality and IL2, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and VEGF levels that have been found altered in suicidal behavior. The presence of major depressive disorder (MDD) with suicidal ideation/attempts was associated with differences in inflammatory cytokine profile when compared to that without suicidal ideation/attempts. Most suicide attempters or subjects with suicidal ideation showed an imbalance of the immune system but this does not imply the existence of a causal link. Also, not all studies demonstrated a positive correlation between inflammatory cytokines and suicidal behavior. Further additional studies should elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the immune activation pathways underlying suicidality.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0924-977X",
doi="10.1016/j.euroneuro.2013.06.002",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2013.06.002"
}