Work

The longitudinal association of stress-response biomarkers on neurocognitive functioning in young adults at-risk for suicidal behavior

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation, increased inflammation, and impaired neurocognitive processes have been observed across psychiatric disorders, yet their relationships in young adults at risk for suicidal behavior remain unclear. This study examined cross-sectional and prospective associations between biomarkers in these pathways and neurocognitive functioning in this population. A total of 254 participants aged 18–30 years were recruited from inpatient and outpatient settings, including individuals with a recent suicide attempt (SA; n = 66), suicide ideation (SI; n = 66), psychiatric controls (PC; n = 73), and healthy controls (HC; n = 49). Hair cortisol concentration, circulating inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1ra, TNF-α), neurocognitive functioning, and clinical measures were assessed at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Of the sample, 110 (43.1%) contributed follow-up data. There was differential attrition in our sample and as such we used inverse probability–weighted analysis to adjust for this differential attrition in our longitudinal analyses. Cross-sectionally, higher CRP and IL-10 were associated with poorer executive functioning, however, these associations were not significant after adjusting for covariates. In longitudinal analyses, increases in CRP (β = 0.147, SE = 0.034, p < 0.001) predicted poorer executive functioning over time. In addition, increases in CRP (β = 0.328, SE = 0.114, p = 0.004) predicted reduced response inhibition over time. Results remained significant when adjusting for covariates. These findings highlight the role of inflammatory processes in cognitive impairments among young adults at risk for suicidal behavior.

Source: Translational Psychiatry

DOI: 10.1038/s41398-026-04365-z