Monoamine oxidase A variant influences antidepressant treatment response in female patients with Major Depression

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Jan 1;32(1):224-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2007.08.011. Epub 2007 Aug 19.

Abstract

The monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis as well as the pharmacological treatment of Major Depression. In the present study, 340 patients with a Major Depressive Episode (f=194, m=146; DSM-IV) of Caucasian descent were genotyped for the functional MAO-A VNTR. The clinical response to antidepressive pharmacological treatment was assessed by weekly intra-individual changes of HAM-D-21 scores over six weeks. The longer MAO-A alleles (3a, 4, 5) conferred a significant risk of slower and less efficient overall response over the course of 6 weeks of antidepressant treatment in patients with Major Depression, with the effect being restricted to female patients (p=0.028; corrected for multiple testing). The present results suggest that high-activity MAO-A genotypes possibly by consecutively decreased serotonin and/or norepinephrine availability negatively influence antidepressant treatment response during the first six weeks of pharmacological treatment in female patients with Major Depression.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Controlled Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alleles
  • Antidepressive Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / drug therapy*
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / genetics*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Minisatellite Repeats / genetics*
  • Monoamine Oxidase / genetics*
  • Pharmacogenetics
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sex Characteristics*

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Monoamine Oxidase