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Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care

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Philipp Frank

Philipp Frank photo

My PhD Title: Association of systemic inflammation with specific types of depressive symptoms: A new approach towards identifying the inflammatory subtypes of depression

Supervisors: Prof Mika Kivimaki, Prof Andrew Steptoe, Dr Dorina Cadar, Prof Markus Jokela

Lay summary: Systemic inflammation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. This notion is consistent with the cytokine hypothesis of depression, which posits that systemic inflammation and subsequent neuroendocrine responses can induce depressive-like symptoms in a subset of individuals.  However, the collective evidence from both experimental and observational studies on the inflammation-depression link has been inconsistent. This discordance may be ascribed to methodological heterogeneity, including differences in the study samples (e.g., clinical versus non-clinical), sample sizes, measurement of constructs, and lack of covariate adjustment. Another possibility is that most studies to date have focused on depression as a single broad syndrome, thereby ignoring possible symptom- or domain-specific effects of inflammation on depression.  The overall aim of my PhD is to explore the associations between systemic inflammation and specific types of depressive symptoms (i.e., individual symptoms and symptom domains), using both genotype and phenotype data.

My Background 

After graduating with a first-class Psychology (Hons) Degree from the University College Maastricht in 2015, I was granted a six-month Assistant Psychologist (AP) position at the Centre for Forensic Psychiatry, University of Zurich. In September 2017, I completed a BPS-accredited MSc in Health Psychology at UCL’s Department of Behavioural Science and Health. While pursuing my masters, I developed a strong interest in research evaluating biological and psychosocial factors determining cognitive and mental health. As part of my dissertation project, I undertook a secondary analysis examining the mediating effects of sleep and physical activity on the association between systemic inflammation and depressive symptoms, using prospective data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Alongside my degree, I was working as an honorary research assistant for the Clinical Health Psychology Service at the Royal Free Hospital in London, examining psychosocial factors influencing medication non-adherence in patients with complex hypertension. From May to December 2018, I worked as a research assistant within KCL’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, investigating the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy on alleviating persistent physical symptoms. My interest in biosocial research and mental health ultimately led me to undertake a 4-year PhD within the Department of Behavioural Science and Health funded by the Soc-B Centre for Doctoral Training (ESRC-BBSRC).

Qualifications

10/2018 – present                 PhD Candidate Soc-B CDT in Biosocial Research,  University College London, UK

09/2016 – 09/2017                MSc in Health Psychology, University College London, UK

09/2012 – 06/2015                B.A. Liberal Arts and Sciences (Psychology), University College Maastricht, Netherlands

09/2014 – 01/2015                 B.A. Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of California, Irvine, USA 

Awards

  • 2020: Scholar Award, American Psychosomatic Association (APS)
  • Soc-B PhD studentship in biosocial research, jointly funded by the ESRC and BBSRC (2018-2022)

Publications

  1. Lindbohm, J. V., Sipilä, P. N., Mars, N., Knüppel, A., Pentti, J., Nyberg, S. T., Frank, P.,. . . Kivimäki, M. (2021). Association between change in cardiovascular risk scores and future cardiovascular disease: analyses of data from the Whitehall II longitudinal, prospective cohort study. The Lancet Digital Health, 3(7), e434-e444. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(21)00079-0

  2. Frank, P., Iob, E., Steptoe, A. and Fancourt, D. (2020). Levels of Severity of Depressive Symptoms Among At-Risk Groups in the UK During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA network open, 3(10), pp.e2026064-e2026064. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.26064

  3. Frank, P., Ajnakina, O., Steptoe, A., & Cadar, D. (2020). Genetic Susceptibility, Inflammation and specific types of depressive symptoms: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing Presented at 78th Annual Scientific Meeting on Achieving Health Equity - Opportunities for Psychosomatic Science.

  4. Frank, P., Ajnakina, O., Steptoe, A., & Cadar, D. (2020). Genetic susceptibility, inflammation and specific types of depressive symptoms: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Translational Psychiatry, 10 (1), 140. doi:10.1038/s41398-020-0815-9

  5. Batty, G. D., Deary, I. J., Hamer, M., Frank, P., & Bann, D. (2020). Association of Childhood Psychomotor Coordination With Survival Up to 6 Decades Later. JAMA Network Open, 3 (4), e204031. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.4031

  6. Frank, P., Kaushal, A., Poole, L., Lawes, S., Chalder, T., & Cadar, D. (2019). Systemic low-grade inflammation and subsequent depressive symptoms: Is there a mediating role of physical activity? Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2019.05.017

  7. Chalder, T., Patel, M., James, K., Hotopf, M., Frank, P., Watts, K., ... & Garrood, T. (2019). Persistent physical symptoms reduction intervention: a system change and evaluation in secondary care (PRINCE secondary)–a CBT-based transdiagnostic approach: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry, 19(1), 307.

  8. Patel, M., James, K., Moss-Morris, R., Husain, M., Ashworth, M., Frank, P., ... & David, A. (2019). Persistent physical symptoms reduction intervention: a system change and evaluation (PRINCE)—integrated GP care for persistent physical symptoms: protocol for a feasibility and cluster randomised waiting list, controlled trial. BMJ open, 9(7), e025513. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025513corr1

  9. Frank, P., Cadar, D., & Kaushal, A. (2018). Chronic inflammation and subsequent depressive symptoms: the mediating role of physical activity. Presented at Society for Social Medicine and Population Health.

  10. Frank, P., Kaushal, A. K., & Cadar, D. (2018). Chronic inflammation and subsequent depressive symptoms: the mediating role of sleep. Presented at Society of Social Medicine and Population Health.

Contact details Email: philipp.frank.16@ucl.ac.uk

Twitter handle: @Philipp_Frank_