Neurotrophic factor changes are essential for predict electroconvulsive therapy outcome in schizophrenia.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in the treatment of schizophrenia with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or antipsychotic (AP) drugs. However, it is unclear whether BDNF is a mediator; we therefore assumed that baseline BDNF level can mediate the efficacy of ECT−AP treatment. A total of 160 patients with schizophrenia were examined; 80 received AP monotherapy and the other 80 were treated with a combination of ECT and AP. BDNF concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using the Emax Immunoassay System kit (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions.Log-linear analyses were used to examine the relationship between demographic characteristics, BDNF level, and clinical features and response status. The baseline BDNF levels and BDNF level increment were the best predictors of clinical outcome (OR1 = 3.358, P = 0.000; OR2 = 3.243, P = 0.000).The higher baseline BDNF levels and greater BDNF level increment were found to be associated with good outcome.