Objective: Major depressive disorder is associated with an increased risk of mortality and
aging-related diseases. The authors examined whether major depression is associated with
higher epigenetic aging in blood as measured by DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns,
whether clinical characteristics of major depression have a further impact on these patterns,
and whether the findings replicate in brain tissue. Method: DNAm age was estimated using
all methylation sites in blood of 811 depressed patients and 319 control subjects with no …

Depression, a chronic mental disorder characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest,
and difficulty in daily tasks, impacts millions globally with varying treatment options.
Antidepressants, despite their long half-life and minimal effectiveness, leave half of patients
undertreated, highlighting the need for new therapies to enhance well-being. Epigenetics,
which studies genetic changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype without altering the
underlying Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) sequence, is explored in this article. This article …