Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39367879›Full record

ArticleThe international journal of neuropsychopharmacology2024

Epigenome-Wide DNA Methylation in Unipolar Depression: Predictive Biomarker of Antidepressant Treatment Response?

Miriam A Schiele, Oscar Crespo Salvador, Jan Lipovsek, Kathrin Schwarte, Pascal Schlosser, Peter Zwanzger, Volker Arolt, Bernhard T Baune, Anna Köttgen, Katharina Domschke

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Acute stress induces changes in epigenome-wide DNA methylation.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. DNA hypomethylation of theFrontiers in neurology · 2026
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Miriam A SchieleDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Oscar Crespo SalvadorDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Jan LipovsekDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Kathrin SchwarteDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Pascal SchlosserCentre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies (CIBSS), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Peter ZwanzgerDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Volker AroltInstitute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany.
Bernhard T BauneThe Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Anna KöttgenInstitute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Katharina DomschkeGerman Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2550-9132

Funding

Dr. Robert Pfleger StiftungGerman Research Foundation 530592017Germany's Excellence Strategy 390939984Medical Epigenetics 192904750-CRC 992
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite the well-documented efficacy of antidepressant agents for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), initial treatment nonresponse rates are high. Recent years have seen an increase in research into predictive biomarkers toward improving diagnosis and individualized treatment. Among those, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation constitute promising candidate markers in predicting antidepressant treatment response in MDD. The present study sought to address epigenome-wide DNA methylation as a predictor of antidepressant treatment response in the largest sample to date of patients with MDD.

methodsEpigenome-wide DNA methylation was analyzed using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip in peripheral blood of n = 230 Caucasian patients with MDD receiving 6-week antidepressant treatment in a naturalistic in-patient setting as well as in a subsample of n = 107 patients primarily receiving continuous treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. Treatment response was assessed by means of the Hamilton Depression Scale.

resultsNo genome-wide significant hits were observed. Suggestive (P < 1E-5) epigenome-wide evidence was discerned for altered DNA methylation at 6 CpG sites (LOC102724467, LOC100506023, RSPO2, SAG, IL16, PRKCI) to predict response to naturalistic antidepressant treatment. In patients treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, differential DNA methylation at 11 CpGs, for example, mapping to the TIMP2, VDAC1, or SORL1 genes, was suggestively associated with treatment response.

conclusionsThe present results provide preliminary evidence for altered DNA methylation patterns to be associated with antidepressant treatment response in MDD. Provided significant replication in independent and larger samples, the present findings might in the future aid in clinical decision-making toward more individualized and thus more efficacious treatments of MDD.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsDNA MethylationMajor Depressive DisorderAdultBiomarkersCpG IslandsEpigenesis, GeneticEpigenomeFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSelective Serotonin Reuptake InhibitorsTreatment OutcomeAntidepressive AgentsBiomarkersSelective Serotonin Reuptake InhibitorsdepressionepigeneticEWASMDDmethylomeSSRI

Identifiers

PMID39367879
PMCPMC11558245

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.