ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Mood Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1574864
This article is part of the Research TopicBrain-body Interactions Underlying Comorbid Depression and Other Mood DisordersView all 8 articles
Sleep efficiency and event-related potentials in patients with depression: the mediating role of serum C-reactive protein
Provisionally accepted
liang fang1
Peng Wang2qin Tian Xie1shuai ding1ting wang1jia jia zhang1guo ai zhang1peng zhu2*
Daomin Zhu1*- 1Department of Sleep Disorders, Hefei Fourth People's Hospital, heifei, China
- 2Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China
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Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) may experience cognitive dysfunction and sleep disorders. Limited research exists on the neurophysiological mechanisms that connect sleep efficiency and cognitive function in individuals with MDD. The study aims to investigate the link between sleep efficiency, mental abilities, and levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in individuals diagnosed with MDD. Methods A total of 101 individuals diagnosed with MDD were selected and categorized into two groups: the normal sleep efficiency group(NSE) with SE ≥ 90% and the group with lower sleep efficiency(LSE) with SE ＜ 90%. All patients underwent polysomnography(PSG), event-related potentials(ERPs) tests, and CRP detection. The study used multiple linear regression and bootstrapped mediation analysis to explore the correlation between SE, ERPs latency, and CRP.The N2, P3a, and P3b latencies were longer in the LSE group compared to the NSE group(p = 0.036, p = 0.013, p < 0.001). N2 (Pr = -122.182), P3a (Pr = -109.597), P3b (Pr = -151.960) and CRP (Pr = -3.768) are significantly associated with SE. A strong correlation was found between CRP (Pr = 9.414) and P3b latency. After controlling for gender and other pertinent variables, subsequent investigation revealed a direct correlation between CRP and P3b latency, specifically within the cohort of depression patients exhibiting low SE. CRP mediated the association between SE and P3b latency.Low SE with MDD was associated with chronic inflammation and impaired cognitive function， suggesting that inflammation may be a potential mediating factor in the se se cognitive function.
Keywords: Depression, Event-related potentials, Sleep efficiency, Chronic systemic low-grade inflammation, Cognitive Function
Received: 11 Feb 2025; Accepted: 11 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 fang, Wang, Xie, ding, wang, zhang, zhang, zhu and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
peng zhu, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
Daomin Zhu, Department of Sleep Disorders, Hefei Fourth People's Hospital, heifei, China
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