BDNF Gene Polymorphism and Antidepressant Response in Han Chinese Patients with First-Episode Late-Life Depression.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphisms and antidepressant response in patients with first-episode late-life depression (LLD).

METHODS

A total of 72 patients with first-episode LLD were recruited and 57 completed an 8-week course of antidepressant treatment. Participants were assessed at baseline and post-treatment using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Serum BDNF levels were measured via Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and BDNF gene polymorphisms were genotyped using the Agena® MassARRAY system.

RESULTS

After 8 weeks, 17 of the 57 patients with LLD showed effective treatment response (effective group), while 40 were classified as ineffective. Significant post-treatment improvements were observed across the cohort in HAMD-17 and RBANS scores, and serum BDNF levels compared with baseline ( < 0.05). However, the effective and ineffective groups did not have significantly different RBANS scores or serum BDNF levels ( > 0.05). Binary logistic regression identified male sex (OR = 10.094, = 0.007) and BDNF gene polymorphism (OR = 6.559, = 0.003) as predictors of treatment efficacy.

CONCLUSION

Antidepressant treatment for 8 weeks altered serum BDNF levels in patients with LLD, with male patients carrying the genotype potentially responded better to conventional antidepressants. The small sample size may limit the generalizability of these findings.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered at https://www.chictr.org.cn (registration number: ChiCTR1900024445).