ArticleBrain and behavior2018
Effect of electroconvulsive therapy on brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in patients with major depressive disorder.
Article in Brain and behavior, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline 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
- Modified electroconvulsive therapy for treatment-resistant self-injurious behavior in autism spectrum disorder with severe intellectual disability: a case report.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Transcranial Stimulation Methods in the Treatment of MDD Patients-The Role of the Neurotrophin System.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Neurobiological Mechanisms of Electroconvulsive Therapy: Molecular Perspectives of Brain Stimulation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Electroconvulsive therapy-a shocking inducer of neuroplasticity?Molecular psychiatry · 2024Article
- Clinical Improvement in Depression and Cognitive Deficit Following Electroconvulsive Therapy.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Review
- Potential of Heterogeneous Compounds as Antidepressants: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Electroconvulsive Therapy in Psychiatric Disorders: A Narrative Review Exploring Neuroendocrine-Immune Therapeutic Mechanisms and Clinical Implications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Ghrelin mediated regulation of neurosynaptic transmitters in depressive disorders.Current research in pharmacology and drug discovery · 2022Review
- BDNF and the Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine and Propofol in Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Preliminary Study.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2020Article
- Effect of electroconvulsive therapy on brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in patients with major depressive disorder.Brain and behavior · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesBrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been associated with depression and its treatment response. The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on serum and plasma BDNF levels and change of Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and their associations in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
methodsThe study included thirty patients suffering from MDD. Their serum and plasma BDNF levels were examined before ECT (baseline) and after the first, fifth, and last ECT session. The severity of the depression and the response to ECT were measured with MADRS.
resultsElectroconvulsive therapy caused no significant changes in serum BDNF levels. Plasma BDNF levels decreased during the fifth ECT session between the baseline and the 2-hr samples (p = 0.019). No associations were found between serum or plasma BDNF levels and remission. The correlations between plasma and serum BDNF levels in each measurement varied between 0.187 and 0.636.
conclusionsNeither serum nor plasma BDNF levels were systematically associated with the clinical remission. However, the plasma BDNF levels somewhat varied during the ECT series. Therefore, the predictive value of BDNF for effects of ECT appears to be at least modest.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What 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.