Table 3.
Main information of clinical researches studying the correlation between FGFs and depression.
| Study | Samples | Depression scale used | Comorbidity with anxiety | Main results | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Takebayashi et al. (2010) | 16 patients in remission from major depressive disorders, 16 healthy controls | DSM-IV | Not examined | No significant difference in plasma FGF2 levels was found between the MDD patients and the matched control subjects. | Limited sample size; Various medications |
| He et al. (2014) | 28 pre- and post-treatment MDD patients (10 first episode and 18 recurrent episode), 30 healthy controls | DSM-IV, 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-24) | Not examined | Serum FGF2 levels in MDD patients were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (p = 0.005), and the serum FGF2 levels decreased significantly but marginally following treatment for 8 weeks (p = 0.005). | Limited sample size; Different types of antidepressants |
| Kahl et al. (2009) | 12 medication-free female patients with a major depressive episode in the context of borderline personality disorder (MDD/BPD), 12 healthy women | DSM-IV, German version of the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), German version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) | Not examined | Increased concentrations of FGF2 were found in MDD/BPD patients compared to the healthy group. | Limited sample size; No comparative group with current MDD and without BPD |
| Lu et al. (2013) | 22 MDD patients with childhood trauma exposure (CTE), 21 MDD patients without CTE, and 22 healthy controls without CTE | DSM-IV, Zung’s Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) | Not examined | FGF2 was overexpressed in MDD patients with CTE only but not as much expressed in MDD patients without CTE. | Limited sample size; Biases caused by using questionnaires to assess histories of childhood trauma; Absence of a control group with CTE alone |
| Xu et al. (2017) | 90 depressive patients (first episode and without drug treatment), 90 controls | Chinese classification of mental disorders- third Edition (CCMD-3), HDRS-24 | Not examined | The patients presented significantly lower serum FGF22 levels, and the levels increased after 8 weeks of treatment. | The loose inclusion criteria (HDRS-24 = 8); No correlation analysis between FGF 22 levels and HDRS scores |
| Liu et al. (2017) | 67 volunteers | Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) | No correlation was found between FGF21 levels and SAS scores | A significant association was found between CSF FGF21 levels and BDI scores in male subjects, but not in female subjects. | No control group |
BDI, Beck Depression Inventory; BPD, borderline personality disorder; CCMD-3, Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders, Third Edition; CSF, Cerebrospinal fluid; CTE, childhood trauma exposure; DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV; FGF, fibroblast growth factor; HAMD, 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale; HDRS-24, 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale; MDD, major depressive disorder; SAS, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale; SCL-90-R, Symptom Checklist-90-Revised; SDS, Self-rating depression scale.