Anti-inflammatory Effect of Electroconvulsive Therapy and Association Between Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Increases and Nonrelapse: A Prospective One-Year Follow-up Study.
{"title":"Anti-inflammatory Effect of Electroconvulsive Therapy and Association Between Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Increases and Nonrelapse: A Prospective One-Year Follow-up Study.","authors":"Kazuya Okuhira, Shun Takahashi, Shohei Funai, Yusuke Uenishi, Takuya Ishida, Sohei Kimoto","doi":"10.1097/YCT.0000000000001343","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective for severe psychiatric disorders, but relapse after a successful acute course of ECT remains common. Identification of biological predictors of relapse is therefore clinically important. In this exploratory prospective study, we investigated changes in inflammatory and neurogenesis-related biomarkers following an acute course of ECT, and examined their association with relapse during 1-year follow-up.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Enrolled were 30 patients with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia spectrum disorders who received their first acute course of bitemporal ECT. Clinical assessments and venous blood sampling were conducted before and after the ECT course. We measured serum inflammatory markers, anti-inflammatory factors, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Relapse was prospectively evaluated using monthly Clinical Global Impression-Severity assessments over 1 year. Repeated-measures analyses were performed to examine biomarker changes and their interaction with relapse status.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Following the acute ECT course, 48.1% of patients achieved remission, and 37.0% experienced relapse during 1-year follow-up. ECT was associated with a significant decrease in serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels and significant increases in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, indicating an anti-inflammatory effect. Notably, serum BDNF levels increased in the nonrelapse group but decreased in the relapse group, with a significant time-by-relapse interaction.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>An acute course of ECT is associated with anti-inflammatory biological changes and differential modulation of serum BDNF. Increases in BDNF after ECT may be linked to a reduced risk of relapse, suggesting that serum BDNF could be a potential prognostic biomarker for long-term outcomes following ECT.</p>","PeriodicalId":54844,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Ect","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Ect","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/YCT.0000000000001343","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective for severe psychiatric disorders, but relapse after a successful acute course of ECT remains common. Identification of biological predictors of relapse is therefore clinically important. In this exploratory prospective study, we investigated changes in inflammatory and neurogenesis-related biomarkers following an acute course of ECT, and examined their association with relapse during 1-year follow-up.
Methods: Enrolled were 30 patients with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia spectrum disorders who received their first acute course of bitemporal ECT. Clinical assessments and venous blood sampling were conducted before and after the ECT course. We measured serum inflammatory markers, anti-inflammatory factors, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Relapse was prospectively evaluated using monthly Clinical Global Impression-Severity assessments over 1 year. Repeated-measures analyses were performed to examine biomarker changes and their interaction with relapse status.
Results: Following the acute ECT course, 48.1% of patients achieved remission, and 37.0% experienced relapse during 1-year follow-up. ECT was associated with a significant decrease in serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels and significant increases in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, indicating an anti-inflammatory effect. Notably, serum BDNF levels increased in the nonrelapse group but decreased in the relapse group, with a significant time-by-relapse interaction.
Conclusion: An acute course of ECT is associated with anti-inflammatory biological changes and differential modulation of serum BDNF. Increases in BDNF after ECT may be linked to a reduced risk of relapse, suggesting that serum BDNF could be a potential prognostic biomarker for long-term outcomes following ECT.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of ECT covers all aspects of contemporary electroconvulsive therapy, reporting on major clinical and research developments worldwide. Leading clinicians and researchers examine the effects of induced seizures on behavior and on organ systems; review important research results on the mode of induction, occurrence, and propagation of seizures; and explore the difficult sociological, ethical, and legal issues concerning the use of ECT.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
