Investigation of neopterin and neurophysiological measurements as biomarkers of anxiety and stress

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the inflammatory marker neopterin and certain neurophysiological measurements could be used as complementary markers for stress and anxiety symptoms as determined by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire. A cohort of 158 respondents completed the DASS-21 and biographical questionnaire which were used to stratify health sciences university students between Group A (n = 20), who had high levels of symptoms, and Group B (n = 20) who had normal levels of stress and anxiety. Neurophysiological measurements were taken from these participants, namely heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP), blood-volume pulse (BVP), electrodermal activity (EDA), and quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). Each participant also donated a urine sample which was tested for neopterin concentration using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Neopterin positively correlated with the stress and anxiety scores, while HRV and BVP were negatively correlated with these scores. In terms of qEEG, delta and hibeta wave activity increased in the left and frontal brain regions of participants with high mental health scores, whereas alpha wave activity decreased in these regions. High DASS scores were associated with elevated neopterin concentration and neurophysiological changes (brain waves, HRV, and BVP).