Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is not associated with response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): a pilot study in drug resistant depressed patients.
Refractory depression is a highly debilitating mental condition that originates major social and economic burden. About 50% of the patients experience a chronic course of illness and up to 20% show an insufficient response to drug treatments. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment method in refractory depression, although its mechanism of action is still unknown. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is decreased in depressive episodes, and increases with antidepressant treatment, being suggested as a biomarker of response to ECT. We report the findings of a study on the effects of ECT on BDNF and clinical outcomes in a group of drug resistant depressive patients before and after ECT. The patients post-ECTs have shown an important improvement of depressive symptomatology on the HDRS (p=0.001), of psychotic features on the BPRS (p=0.001) and of the severity of illness on the CGI (p=0.001). There were no changes in the serum BDNF before and after the ECT treatment (p=0.89). These results do not support the hypothesis that the clinical improvement following ECT is due to changes in the BDNF.
Bipolar Disorder Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Brisa
B
Fernandes
Clarissa S
CS
Gama
Rafael
R
Massuda
Mariana
M
Torres
Daniel
D
Camargo
Mauricio
M
Kunz
Paulo Silva
PS
Belmonte-de-Abreu
Flávio
F
Kapczinski
Marcelo Pio
MP
de Almeida Fleck
Maria
M
Inês Lobato
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D015415:Biomarkers; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor