title: Decreased Total Antioxidant Activity in Major Depressive Disorder Patients Non-Responsive to Antidepressant Treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the total antioxidant activity (TAA) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and the effect of antidepressants on TAA using a novel potentiometric method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight patients with MDD and thirty-one healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The control group comprised 31 healthy individuals matched for gender, drinking and smoking status. We assessed symptoms of depression using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). We measured TAA using potentiometry. All measurements were made at baseline and four and eight weeks later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant negative correlation between BDI scores and TAA. TAA was significantly lower in the MDD group than in controls. When the MDD group was subdivided into those who showed clinical response to antidepressant therapy (response group) and those who did not (non-response group), only the non-response group showed lower TAA, while the response group showed no significant difference to controls at baseline. After eight weeks of antidepressant treatment, TAA in both the response and non-response groups was similar, and there was no significant difference among the three groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the response to antidepressant treatment in MDD patients might be predicted by measuring TAA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Song-Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Materials Development Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gyoung-Ja
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Materials Development Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Kyu
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dae-Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Rho
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Do-Hoon
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Kyu
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Antidepressant treatment; Major depressive disorder; Total antioxidant activity