Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41593764›Full record

Trial reportThe international journal of neuropsychopharmacology2026

Identification of antidepressant response-related changes to DNA methylation and gene expression.

Laura M Fiori, Corina Nagy, Gustavo Turecki

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

3 authors.

Laura M FioriDepartment of Psychiatry, McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-6840-471X
Corina NagyDepartment of Psychiatry, McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-1439-0129
Gustavo TureckiDepartment of Psychiatry, McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4075-2736

Funding

CIHR FDN148374CIHR PJT183903CIHR PJT189993
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating condition that is commonly treated with antidepressants. However, many people do not respond to treatment, and the molecular mechanisms underlying antidepressant response remain poorly understood. Baseline DNA methylation differences have been observed between individuals who respond to treatment compared to those who do not respond; however, little is known regarding DNA methylation changes that occur during treatment or how they may relate to clinical response.

methodsWe assessed peripheral levels of DNA methylation and gene expression at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment in 154 individuals with MDD who were treated with escitalopram or desvenlafaxine, using the Infinium MethylationEPIC Beadchip and RNA sequencing. We identified methylation sites whose levels changed over time in relation to changes in depressive symptoms, as well as corresponding changes to gene expression levels after 8 weeks of treatment.

resultsWe identified 2 sites, in sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 7 and IQ Motif and ankyrin repeat containing 1, whose methylation changes over time were correlated with changes in depressive symptoms at the epigenome-wide level. Gene ontology analyses of genes displaying response-related methylation changes highlighted several processes previously implicated in depression, including small GTPase-related signaling and the Wnt signaling pathway. Additionally, we identified methylation sites in 10 genes that displayed significant changes in methylation over time in relation to improvement of depressive symptoms, whose expression levels at week 8 were correlated with the level of depressive symptoms, and for which methylation levels were functionally related to gene expression.

conclusionsAntidepressant treatment response is associated with changes in peripheral DNA methylation over time, as well as corresponding alterations in gene expression. Significance Statement Major depressive disorder (MDD) is commonly treated with antidepressants; however, many people do not respond to treatment. In order to better understand the molecular changes that occur during antidepressant treatment, we analyzed DNA methylation and gene expression in the blood of 154 individuals with MDD who were treated with escitalopram or desvenlafaxine. We found 10 methylation sites within 10 genes whose methylation levels changed over time in relation to clinical improvement, and whose levels of expression were related to both methylation and antidepressant response.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsDesvenlafaxine SuccinateDNA MethylationEscitalopramGene ExpressionMajor Depressive DisorderAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedAntidepressive AgentsDesvenlafaxine SuccinateEscitalopramantidepressant responseDNA methylationRNA sequencing

Identifiers

PMID41593764
PMCPMC12903956

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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.