Lower serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are associated with failure to achieve remission in patients with major depression after escitalopram treatment

Figures & data

Figure 1 Difference in serum BDNF among the remission and nonremission groups and healthy controls.

Notes: Data are presented as means ± standard deviation. Differences from healthy controls are indicated (*P<0.05), as analyzed by analysis of variance. Serum BDNF levels of MDD patients with remission during the maintenance phase of treatment were comparable to those of healthy controls. MDD patients without remission had significantly lower serum BDNF than healthy controls.
Abbreviations: BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Ham-D, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale; MDD, major depressive disorder.

Table 1 Comparison of demographic and clinical variables and serum BDNF levels between groups with and without remission, defined according to the score for total Ham-D score

Variable	Remission defined as ≤7 for total Ham-D score			Remission defined as ≤6 for total Ham-D score
	Remission group (n=22)	Nonremission group (n=12)	P	Remission group (n=21)	Nonremission group (n=13)	P
Age, years	47.5±17.3	46.0±21.0	0.824	48.8±16.6	44.0±21.4	0.467
Sex (male/female)	9/13	1/11	0.046*	8/13	2/11	0.158
Escitalopram dose, mg	11.8±5.0	11.2±4.3	0.743	11.7±5.1	11.5±4.3	0.940
Total BDI score
Before treatment	26.67±6.68	29.63±6.65	0.427	28.00±6.52	28.56±7.00	0.887
After treatment	5.91±6.98	21.75±9.55	<0.01**	5.38±5.57	21.38±9.24	<0.01**
Total Ham-D score after treatment	3.32±2.30	12.67±3.89	<0.01**	3.14±2.20	12.23±4.04	<0.01**
Depression subscale	0.77±0.97	4.58±1.62	<0.01**	0.71±0.96	4.38±1.71	<0.01**
Anxiety subscale	0.95±0.84	3.58±2.19	0.002**	0.90±0.83	3.46±2.15	0.001**
Insomnia subscale	0.82±1.18	2.25±1.60	0.006**	0.81±1.21	2.15±1.57	0.008**
Somatic subscale	0.77±0.97	2.25±1.71	0.015*	0.71±0.96	2.23±1.64	0.008**
BDNF, ng/mL	22.65±8.06	18.54±4.46	0.114	22.92±8.16	18.42±4.29	0.043*

Note:

* P<0.05;

** P<0.01. Except where stated otherwise, data are means ± standard deviation.

Abbreviations: BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Ham-D, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, BDI, Beck Depression Inventory.