2012年8月13日 訊 /生物谷BIOON/ --焦慮癥和過(guò)早衰老相關(guān)嗎,？近日來(lái)自布萊根婦女醫(yī)院（BWH）的研究者揭示了，常見(jiàn)形式的焦慮癥比如我們常見(jiàn)的恐懼性焦慮,，在中年和老年婦女中，這種焦慮癥和端粒的縮短有關(guān)。這項(xiàng)研究揭示了恐懼性焦慮或許是加速衰老的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)因子。
相關(guān)研究成果刊登在了近日的國(guó)際雜志PLoS One上。
端粒（Telomeres）是染色體末端的DNA蛋白質(zhì)復(fù)合物,，其可以保護(hù)染色體免受變質(zhì),，而且端粒也是細(xì)胞分裂期間染色體末端保護(hù)遺傳信息的守衛(wèi)者,；然而端粒也是生物學(xué)和細(xì)胞衰老的標(biāo)志物,，縮短端粒的長(zhǎng)度和癌癥風(fēng)險(xiǎn)增加、心臟疾病等病癥直接相關(guān)。
在這項(xiàng)大型橫向研究中，研究者從5243名年齡在42-69歲的婦女身上獲取了其血液樣品,，對(duì)樣品進(jìn)行分析，研究者分析了其端粒的長(zhǎng)度,，于此同時(shí),，參與者也填寫(xiě)了關(guān)于其恐怖焦慮的調(diào)查表。分析結(jié)果表明，高水平的恐怖性焦慮和明顯的端粒長(zhǎng)度縮短相關(guān)，而且恐怖性焦慮婦女的端粒長(zhǎng)度和正常組差異比較明顯,。
研究者Olivia表示,，很多人想知道壓力是否、如何使其老化加劇,，值得注意的是,，這項(xiàng)研究也解釋了心理學(xué)壓力的常見(jiàn)形式（恐怖性焦慮）和過(guò)早衰老之間的關(guān)系。然而這項(xiàng)研究設(shè)計(jì)不能夠證明其原因和效果或者說(shuō)是什么問(wèn)題先發(fā)生,，是焦慮先發(fā)生還是端?？s短先發(fā)生，卻不得而知,。
總之，這項(xiàng)研究為后期研究端粒縮短相關(guān)的焦慮鋪平了道路,，并且提供了一些研究基礎(chǔ),。（生物谷Bioon.com）
編譯自：Anxiety linked to shortened telomeres, accelerated aging
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040516
PMC:
PMID:
High Phobic Anxiety Is Related to Lower Leukocyte Telomere Length in Women
Olivia I. Okereke1,2,5*, Jennifer Prescott1,2,3, Jason Y. Y. Wong1,2,3, Jiali Han1,2,3,4, Kathryn M. Rexrode6, Immaculata De Vivo1,2,3
Background Chronic psychological distress has been linked to shorter telomeres, an indication of accelerated aging. Yet, little is known about relations of anxiety to telomeres. We examined whether a typically chronic form of anxiety – phobic anxiety – is related to telomere length. Methodology/Principal Findings Relative telomere lengths (RTLs) in peripheral blood leukocytes were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction among 5,243 women (aged 42–69 years) who: were participants in the Nurses' Health Study; were controls in prior case-control studies of telomeres and disease, or randomly selected healthy participants in a cognitive function sub-study; had completed the Crown-Crisp phobic index proximal to blood collection. Adjusted least-squares mean RTLs (z-scores) were calculated across phobic categories. Higher phobic anxiety was generally associated with lower RTLs (age-adjusted p-trend = 0.09); this association was similar after adjustment for confounders – paternal age-at-birth, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (p-trend = 0.15). Notably, a threshold was identified. Among women with Crown-Crisp<6 points, the multivariable-adjusted least-squares mean RTL z-score = 0.02 standard units; however, among the most phobic women (Crown-Crisp≥6), the multivariable-adjusted least-squares mean RTL z-score = −0.09 standard units (mean difference = −0.10 standard units; p = 0.02). The magnitude of this difference was comparable to that for women 6 years apart in age. Finally, effect modification by BMI, smoking and paternal age was observed: associations were stronger among highly phobic women with BMI≥25 kg/m2, without smoking history, or born to fathers aged ≥40 years. Conclusions/Significance In this large, cross-sectional study high phobic anxiety was associated with shorter telomeres. These results point toward prospective investigations relating anxiety to telomere length change.
