Depressive illness and the heart: Identifying the relation between affective disorders and coronary heart disease

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/225121

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Major depression is ranked fourth among the 10 leading causes of the global burden of disease and, if epidemiological projections are correct, by 2020 it will reach second place. Patients with depression are at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease. This elevated risk is independent of conventional risk factors such as smoking, obesity, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes and hypertension. Also conclusively demonstrated is the adverse effect of depression in patients following myocardial infarction (MI), which materially increases mortality. The mechanism of increased cardiac risk attributable to depressive illness is at present uncertain but activation of the sympathetic nervous system, exaggerated platelet reactivity and-or altered baroreflex function are likely to be of prime importance. Preliminary data from our laboratory indicates that whole body and cardiac sympathetic nervous activity and cardiac baroreflex sensitivity are modified following antidepressant therapy. Identifying the underlying neurochemical mechanisms responsible for alterations in affective behaviour, and quantifying cardiac and whole body sympathetic activity directly and indirectly, and testing whether therapeutic and behavioural interventions can influence brain neurotransmitter turnover and modify cardiac sympathetic tone, platelet reactivity, and baroreflex function in a fashion likely to reduce cardiac risk, will be an important step forward in alleviating the burden of depressive illness on the community.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2003

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $503,625.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Psychiatry

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

affective illness | brain monoamines and depression | cardiovascular disease | coronary heart disease | depression and cardiovascular disease | depression following myocardial infarction | depressive illness | mental illness and cardiac risk

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