Age-dependent associations between growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) and depressive symptoms: Evidence from a population-based cohort
= 0.293). At both time points, this relationship was moderated by age, as indicated by a significant GDF-15 x age interaction (p = .019 at baseline; p = .030 at follow-up). Older participants showed a significant positive association between GDF-15 and depressive symptoms at both baseline (≥ 71.66 years, p = .050) and follow-up (≥ 73.51 years, p = .050), whereas no association was identified in younger adults. No significant association emerged between GDF-15 levels and anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest age-dependent associations between GDF-15 and depressive symptomatology and highlight the importance of considering age as a moderator in biomarker research on mental health.
Authors
- Dirk Alexander Wittekind (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5349-8189)
- Roland Mergl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2829-6283)
- Ronald Biemann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0820-8231)
- Chloé de Vos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9585-0459)
- Steffi Riedel-Heller
- Michael Kluge
- Ronny Baber
- Kerstin Wirkner
Institutions
- Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (DE)
- Universität der Bundeswehr München (DE)
- University Hospital Leipzig (DE)
- Leipzig University (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Published
- 2026-04-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2026.121832
- Primary Topic
- GDF15 and Related Biomarkers
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Europäischer Sozialfonds
- Freistaat Sachsen
- European Regional Development Fund