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Study finds electroconvulsive therapy reduces MADRS and alters gene expression in treatment-resistant depression patients, indicating potential anti-apoptotic effects.
Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to simultaneously evaluate alterations in apoptosis-related biomarker gene expression accompanied by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) patients. Methods: A total of 25 subjects (15 healthy controls; 10 TRD patients) were initially tested for baseline values of relative mRNA expression of apoptosis-related markers (Bax, Bcl-2, p53, and cytochrome c) in peripheral blood samples and MADRS score. Results: Healthy subjects showed significantly lower values in MADRS, and Bax and p53, with increased Bcl-2 expression. The four-week ECT protocol (bitemporal, three sessions per week, with MADRS evaluation and blood sampling after each week) in TRD patients resulted in a concomitant significant decrease in MADRS, Bax, and p53 and an increase in Bcl-2 expression. Conclusions: Our results confirmed that the benefits observed by clinical outcome may also be attributed to the anti-apoptotic impact of ECT.
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Fetahović et al. (2026) studied this question.
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