Nerve growth factor variations in patients with mood disorders: no changes in eight weeks of clinical treatment

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients versus healthy controls

Variables	Mood disorders			Controls	P-value
	Unipolar depression	Bipolar depression	Bipolar mania
N	30	23	54	50	–
Male (N, %)	10 (33.3%)	10 (43.5%)	21 (38.9%)	20 (40.0%)	0.892
Age (mean [SD])	47 (13)	45 (15)	39 (14)	37 (11)	0.003**
Age of first mood episode (mean [SD])	40 (12)	34 (13)	27 (11)	–	0.000**
Duration of present episode (weeks) (mean [SD])	15 (20)	15 (12)	7 (10)	–	0.022*
HAM-D (mean [SD])
Week 0	28.0 (8.07)	28.7 (6.55)	–	–	0.726
Week 8	6.1 (7.36)	7.0 (6.83)	–	–	0.647
MADRS (mean [SD])
Week 0	30.6 (9.93)	28.4 (8.47)	–	–	0.390
Week 8	3.8 (5.48)	4.2 (4.24)	–	–	0.782
HAM-A (mean [SD])
Week 0	19.1 (7.34)	21.1 (9.44)	–	–	0.390
Week 8	3.6 (4.92)	5.6 (6.10)	–	–	0.200
BRMS (mean [SD])
Week 0	–	–	22.7 (7.34)	–	–
Week 8	–	–	2.3 (2.22)	–	–
YMRS (mean [SD])
Week 0	–	–	29.6 (10.72)	–	–
Week 8	–	–	2.9 (3.26)	–	–

Notes: P-value for comparison among groups was calculated by one-way analysis of variance (chi-squared test was used for comparing the proportions of sex among four groups).

* P<0.05;

** P<0.01.

Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; HAM-D, Hamilton Depression Scale; MADRS, Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale; HAM-A, Hamilton Anxiety Scale; BRMS, Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Rating Scale; YMRS, Young Mania Rating Scale.

Figure 1 Box plot of the differences in serum nerve growth factor (NGF) levels among the different groups.

Notes: The P-values of the comparisons between the groups were calculated by the nonparametric Mann–Whitney test. *P<0.05.

Figure 2 Mean nerve growth factor (NGF) value variations after 8 weeks of treatment of patients with unipolar depression, bipolar depression, or bipolar mania.