Trial reportPsychopharmacology2014
High baseline BDNF serum levels and early psychopathological improvement are predictive of treatment outcome in major depression.
Trial report in Psychopharmacology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) as a Predictor of Treatment Response in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Speed of Improvement in Symptoms of Depression With Desvenlafaxine 50 mg and 100 mg Compared With Placebo in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.Journal of clinical psychopharmacology · 2017Pooled it
- Baseline Plasma BDNF Levelsare Associated with Antianhedonic Effects of Repeated-Dose Intravenous Ketamine in Major Depressive Disorder.Current neuropharmacology · 2023Trial
- Adjuvant thiamine improved standard treatment in patients with major depressive disorder: results from a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trial.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2016Trial
- Childhood abuse moderates the impact of serum BDNF on short- and long-term antidepressant response.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- BDNF mediates the heart-brain axis: implications for cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Review
- Pharmacogenetics and the Response to Antidepressants in Major Depressive Disorder.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Neurobiological Mechanisms of Electroconvulsive Therapy: Molecular Perspectives of Brain Stimulation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- The researcher's guide to selecting biomarkers in mental health studies.BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology · 2024Review
- Are BDNF and Stress Levels Related to Antidepressant Response?International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Investigating Neuroplasticity Changes Reflected by BDNF Levels in Astrocyte-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Patients with Depression.International journal of nanomedicine · 2024Article
- Precision Medicine in Depression: The Role of Proteomics and Metabolomics in Personalized Treatment Approaches.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2024Review
- The Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Increases in Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Responders Patients with First-Episode, Drug-Naïve Major Depression.Biomedicines · 2023Article
- Pharmacological targeting of cognitive impairment in depression: recent developments and challenges in human clinical research.Translational psychiatry · 2022Review
- Article
- Elucidating the Possible Role of FoxO in Depression.Neurochemical research · 2021Review
- Molecular Biomarkers of Electroconvulsive Therapy Effects and Clinical Response: Understanding the Present to Shape the Future.Brain sciences · 2021Review
- Effects of Antidepressant Treatment on Neurotrophic Factors (BDNF and IGF-1) in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- A Load to Find Clinically Useful Biomarkers for Depression.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2021Article
- Repetitive enhancement of serum BDNF subsequent to continuation ECT.Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleMajor depressive disorder has been associated with low serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (sBDNF), which is functionally involved in neuroplasticity. Although sBDNF levels tend to normalize following psychopathological improvement with antidepressant treatment, it is unclear how closely sBDNF changes are associated with treatment outcome.
objectivesTo examine whether baseline sBDNF or early changes in sBDNF are predictive of response to therapy.
methodsTwenty-five patients with major depressive disorder underwent standardized treatment with duloxetine. Severity of depression, measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and sBDNF were assessed at baseline, and after 1, 2, and 6 weeks of treatment. Therapy outcome after 6 weeks was defined as response (≥50 % reduction in baseline Hamilton Depression Rating score) and remission (Hamilton Depression Rating score <8). The predictive values for treatment outcome of baseline sBDNF, and early (i.e., ≤2 weeks) changes in sBDNF and Hamilton Depression Rating score were also assessed.
resultsAt baseline, sBDNF correlated with Hamilton Depression Rating scores. Treatment response was associated with a higher baseline sBDNF concentration, and a greater Hamilton Depression Rating score reduction after 1 and 2 weeks. A greater early rise in sBDNF correlated with a decreased early Hamilton Depression Rating score reduction.
conclusionsEven though higher baseline sBDNF levels are associated with more severe depression, they may reflect an increased capacity to respond to treatment. In contrast, changes in sBDNF over the full course of treatment are not associated with psychopathological improvement.
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24562062What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.