title: Thyroid stimulating hormone and serum, plasma, and platelet brain-derived neurotrophic factor during a 3-month follow-up in patients with major depressive disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thyroid dysfunction and elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) are common in patients with depression. TSH might exert its function in the brain through blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF decreases during depressed states and normalize after treatment. The gap is that the association between TSH and BDNF in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 105 subjects ≥18 years of age with MDD and measured serum, plasma, and platelet BDNF at baseline, 1 month and 3 months during antidepressant treatment. Other baseline measurements included hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis hormones such as TSH, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4); hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormones and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis hormones and prolactin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Linear mixed model effect analyses revealed that baseline TSH level was negatively associated with changes of serum BDNF from baseline to 3 months (F=7.58, p=0.007) after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index, but was not associated with plasma and platelet BDNF. In contrast, T3 and T4, HPA axis hormones, HPG axis hormones, and prolactin were not associated with serum, plasma, or platelet BDNF levels. Patients in the highest quartile of TSH showed significantly lower serum BDNF than in the other quartiles (F=4.54, p=0.038), but no significant differences were found based on T3 and T4 levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TSH was only measured at baseline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher TSH is associated with lower baseline and reduced the increase of serum BDNF levels during antidepressant treatment in patients with MDD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Bipolar Clinic and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Ji Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Suk
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fava
authors.affiliation: Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mischoulon
authors.affiliation: Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Bipolar Clinic and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nierenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dongsoo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Yoon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology (SAIHST), Seoul, Republic of Korea; Bipolar Clinic and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Electronic address: jeonhj@skku.edu.
authors.forename: Hong Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jeon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood*; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine
keywords: BDNF; Major depressive disorder; Thyroid hormone; Thyroid-stimulating hormone