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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Biol Psychiatry. 2012 Jul 24;73(1):15–23. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.06.025

Table 1.

Telomeres and psychiatric conditions

Diagnosis References Total N Findings
Major depressive disorder (MDD) 49-51, 53-58 MDD = 700 (including 204 with stable CHD) Shorter telomeres associated with MDD: 5 studies
HC = 1,765 (including 746 with stable CHD) No difference in telomere length: 3 studies
Increased telomerase activity with MDD: 1 study
Bipolar disorder (I and II) (BIP) 50, 52, 58 BIP = 103 Shorter telomeres associated with BIP: 2 studies
HC = 118 No difference in telomere length: 1 study
Schizophrenia (SCZ) 58-60 SCZ = 145 Shorter telomeres associated with SCZ: 2 studies*
HC = 187 No difference in telomere length: 1 study
*Only in treatment-resistant patients in 1 study

Key: HC = healthy controls; CHD = coronary heart disease.