Table 1.
Demographic, psychopathological, neuropsychological, functional characteristics, and serum BDNF and IGF-1 levels in healthy controls and MDD patients.
| Variables | HC (n = 32) | MDD (n = 41) | p | Treatment group(n = 30) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-treatment | Post-treatment | |||||
| Demographic characteristics | ||||||
| Women, n (%) | 20 (62.5)b | 27 (65.9) | 0.77 | 20 (69) | – | |
| Age, years§ | 38.0 (12.2)a | 36.4 (12.8) | 0.60 | 35.1 (12.9) | – | |
| Education, years§ | 15.4 (1.9)a | 14.7 (2.0) | 0.16 | 14.6 (2.1) | – | |
| Childhood psychotrauma, n (%) | 4 (12.5)b | 13 (31.7) | 0.05 | 10 (34.5) | – | |
| Persistent stress, n (%) | 12 (37.5)b | 22 (53.7) | 0.17 | 14 (48.3) | – | |
| Precipitating factors, n (%) | 3 (9.4)b | 26 (63.4)** | <0.0001 | 20 (69.0)** | ||
| Number of DE | – | 1 (1-2) | – | 1 (1-2.5) | – | |
| MDD in relatives, n (%) | 4 (12.5)b | 12 (29.3) | 0.09 | 10 (34.5) | – | |
| History of DE, n (%) | – | 14 (34.1) | – | 11 (37.9) | – | |
| Clinical assessments | ||||||
| Psychopathological | ||||||
| MADRS total score | 2 (0-3.5)c | 28 (21.5-31.5)** | <0.0001 | 29 (24.5-33)d | 5 (2.5-10)## | <0.0001 |
| CGI-S score | 1 (1-1)c | 4 (4-4.5)** | <0.0001 | 4 (4-5)d | 2 (1-3)## | <0.0001 |
| Patient-reported cognitive symptoms | ||||||
| PDQ-5 total score | 1 (0-2)c | 6 (4-11.5)** | <0.0001 | 7 (4-12.5)d | 2 (1-4)## | <0.0001 |
| Neuropsychological | ||||||
| RAVLT immediate recall total | 65.5 (58.25-69)c | 50.5 (45-54.5)** | <0.0001 | 51 (45-54)d | 69 (65-72.5)## | <0.0001 |
| RAVLT proactive interference | 8 (6-9)c | 6 (5-7)** | <0.0001 | 6 (5-7)d | 8 (6-9)## | <0.0001 |
| RAVLT retroactive interference | 15 (13.25-15)c | 11 (9-13)** | <0.0001 | 11 (9-13)d | 15 (14-15)## | <0.0001 |
| RAVLT delayed recall | 15 (13-15)c | 11 (9-13)** | <0.0001 | 11 (9-13)d | 15 (14-15)## | <0.0001 |
| RAVLT delayed recognition | 15 (15-15)c | 15 (14-15)* | 0.003 | 15 (13.5-15)d | 15 (15-15)# | 0.001 |
| TMT-B (s) § | 52.4 (12.8)a | 72.3 (21.2)** | <0.0001 | 72.4 (23.0)e | 45.4 (15.6)## | <0.0001 |
| DSST | 63 (55.5-68)c | 50.5 (44.25-59.75)** | <0.0001 | 54 (44.5-60.5)d | 62 (52-73)## | <0.0001 |
| Patient-rated functioning | ||||||
| SDS Work score | 0 (0-0)c | 6 (5-8)** | <0.0001 | 6 (5-8)d | 1 (0-3)## | <0.0001 |
| SDS Social score | 0 (0-0)c | 7 (3.75-9.25)** | <0.0001 | 7 (4.5-10)d | 1 (0-3)## | <0.0001 |
| SDS Family score | 0 (0-0)c | 6 (4-8)** | <0.0001 | 6 (4.5-8)d | 1 (0-2.5)## | <0.0001 |
| SDS Total score | 0 (0-1.75)c | 19 (12-24.5)** | <0.0001 | 19.5 (13.25-25)d | 2.5 (0-8)## | <0.0001 |
| SDS absenteeism, days | 0 (0-0)c | 0 (0-1)** | <0.0001 | 0 (0-1)d | 0 (0-0)# | 0.007 |
| SDS presenteism, days | 0 (0-0)c | 3 (2-5)** | <0.0001 | 4 (2.25-5.75)d | 0 (0-1.5)## | <0.0001 |
| Serum protein levels | ||||||
| BDNF (pg/ml)§ | 853.0 (93.9)a | 727.6 (87.9)** | <0.0001 | 737.3 (90.4)e | 905.3 (59.6)##* | <0.0001 |
| IGF-1 serum level (ng/ml) § | 170.2 (58.2)a | 289.2 (125.3)** | <0.0001 | 288.2 (132.6)e | 173.4 (71.2)## | <0.0001 |
Data are presented as median (upper-lower quartile) unless otherwise stated; §data are presented as means (SD).
BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; CGI-S, clinical global impression—severity of illness; DE, depressive episode; DSST, digit symbol substitution test; HC, healthy controls; IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor; MADRS, Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale; MDD, patients with major depressive disorder; PDQ-5, perceived deficits questionnaire—5 items; RAVLT, Rey auditory verbal learning test; SDS, Sheehan disability scale; TMT-B, trail making test part B.
ANOVA (analysis of variance) analysis, controls vs. MDD patients.
Chi-square test, controls vs. MDD patients.
Mann–Whitney U-test, controls vs. MDD patients.
Wilcoxon test (paired samples), “Pre-treatment” vs. “Post-treatment”.
Paired-samples t-test, “Pre-treatment” vs. “Post-treatment”.
Compared with controls, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. Compared with “Pre-treatment”, #p < 0.05, ##p < 0.0001.