Science Daily | UB
The study used data collected by the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) — also known as Children of the 90s — and included a total of 6,556 participants of whom 50.4% were female. Inflammation was identified by increased levels of the general inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) recorded in participants at ages 9, 15 and 17 years. Of the two groups identified with persistently raised inflammation throughout their developing years, the researchers discovered that it was the group whose CRP levels peaked earlier in childhood, around age 9, that were most associated with subsequent higher risks of depression and psychosis at age 24.