Increased BDNF levels after electroconvulsive therapy in patients with major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis study

Renan Boeira Rocha; Eduardo Ronconi Dondossola; Antônio José Grande; Tamy Colonetti; Luciane Bisognin Ceretta; Ives C Passos; Joao Quevedo; Maria Inês da Rosa

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.08.004

Increased BDNF levels after electroconvulsive therapy in patients with major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis study

J Psychiatr Res. 2016 Dec:83:47-53. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.08.004. Epub 2016 Aug 5.

Authors

Renan Boeira Rocha¹, Eduardo Ronconi Dondossola², Antônio José Grande³, Tamy Colonetti¹, Luciane Bisognin Ceretta⁴, Ives C Passos⁵, Joao Quevedo⁶, Maria Inês da Rosa⁷

Affiliations

¹ Laboratório de Epidemiologia, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
² Laboratório de Epidemiologia, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
³ Laboratório de Epidemiologia, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
⁴ Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
⁵ UT Center of Excellence on Mood Disorder, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Bipolar Disorder Program, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
⁶ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil; UT Center of Excellence on Mood Disorder, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Translational Psychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
⁷ Laboratório de Epidemiologia, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: mir@unesc.net.

PMID: 27552533
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.08.004

Abstract

Objective: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Method: A comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, LILACS, Grey literature, and EMBASE was performed for papers published from January 1990 to April 2016. The following key terms were searched: "major depressive disorder", "unipolar depression", "brain-derived neurotrophic factor", and "electroconvulsive therapy".

Results: A total of 252 citations were identified by the search strategy, and nine studies met the inclusion criteria of the meta-analysis. BDNF levels were increased among patients with MDD after ECT (P value = 0.006). The standardized mean difference was 0.56 (95% CI: 0.17-0.96). Additionally, we found significant heterogeneity between studies (I² = 73%).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest a potential role of BDNF as a marker of treatment response after ECT in patients with MDD.

Keywords: BDNF; Electroconvulsive therapy; Major depressive disorder; Meta-analysis.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / metabolism*
Databases, Bibliographic / statistics & numerical data
Depressive Disorder, Major / metabolism*
Depressive Disorder, Major / therapy*
Electroconvulsive Therapy / methods*
Humans

Substances

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor