Trial reportEpigenomics2026
S-adenosylmethionine as an epigenetic treatment of depression in adults with childhood trauma.
Trial report in Epigenomics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Turning back time: a comprehensive list of interventions that decrease next-generation epigenetic aging clocks in humans.Frontiers in genetics · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChildhood trauma is associated with increased risk of depression and epigenetic alterations in stress-related pathways. Preclinical studies suggest that methyl donors may facilitate DNA methylation changes. This first-in-human trial of epigenetic treatment investigated methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) as add-on to trauma-focused therapy for depression.
methodsIn this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 6-month follow-up, 31 adults with trauma-related depression were enrolled. Participants received 1200 mg SAMe or placebo alongside 12-weeks trauma-focused therapy. Depression symptoms were assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HAM-D). Plasma SAMe levels and genome-wide DNA methylation were measured pre- and post-treatment, including epigenome-wide association analyses, differentially methylated region analyses, and epigenetic clock measures.
resultsTwenty-eight participants completed the study. Depression symptoms decreased significantly during treatment and remained improved at follow-up, reflecting the effect of psychotherapy, without clinical benefit of SAMe. SAMe supplementation did not alter plasma SAMe levels. However, SAMe treatment was associated with differential methylation across 66 regions. Epigenetic clock analyses showed no consistent treatment-related changes.
conclusionsThis first-in-human epigenetic intervention study in psychiatry demonstrates the feasibility of combining trauma-focused psychotherapy with targeted epigenetic analyses. While SAMe showed no additive clinical effects, the results provide important leads for future trials. CLINICAL TRIAL IDENTIFIER (EUDRACT): 2017-002097-38.
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