title: Electroconvulsive therapy improves clinical manifestations of treatment-resistant depression without changing serum BDNF levels.
abstract: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). It may act through intracellular process modulation, but its exact mechanism is still unknown. Animal research supports a neurotrophic effect for ECT. We aimed to investigate the association between changes in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (sBDNF) levels and clinical improvement following ECT in patients with TRD. Twenty-one patients with TRD (2 men, 19 women; mean age, 63.5 years; S.D., 11.9) were assessed through the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and the Clinical Global Impressions scale, Severity (CGIs) before and after a complete ECT cycle. At the same time-points, patients underwent blood withdrawal for measuring sBDNF levels. ECT significantly reduced HDRS, BPRS, and CGIS scores, but not sBDNF levels. No significant correlation was found between sBDNF changes, and each of HDRS, BPRS, and CGIs score changes. sBDNF levels in TRD patients were low both at baseline and post-ECT. Our results do not support that improvements in TRD following ECT are mediated through increases in sBDNF levels.
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; Neuropsychiatry Department, Villa Rosa, Suore Hospitaliere of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rapinesi
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: giorgio.kotzalidis@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Georgios D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kotzalidis
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Bipolar & Psychotic Disorders Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Curto
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; Neuropsychiatry Department, Villa Rosa, Suore Hospitaliere of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serata
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; Neuropsychiatry Department, Villa Rosa, Suore Hospitaliere of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Vittoria R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; Neuropsychiatry Department, Villa Rosa, Suore Hospitaliere of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scatena
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatry Department, Villa Rosa, Suore Hospitaliere of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carbonetti
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Napoletano
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miele
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scaccianoce
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Fondazione Padre Alberto Mileno Onlus, Vasto, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Casale
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Angeletti
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant׳Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; Neuropsychiatry Department, Villa Rosa, Suore Hospitaliere of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girardi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D061218:Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C579455:BDNF protein, human
keywords: Bipolar depression; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), serum levels; Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT); Major depression; Treatment-resistant depression