Leukocyte Telomere Length and Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Treatment-Resistant Depression and Response to Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Pilot Longitudinal Study

Alessio Squassina; Claudia Pisanu; Valentina Menesello; Anna Meloni; Donatella Congiu; Mirko Manchia; Pasquale Paribello; Maria Abate; Marco Bortolomasi; Bernhard T Baune; Massimo Gennarelli; Alessandra Minelli

doi:10.1097/YCT.0000000000001060

Leukocyte Telomere Length and Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Treatment-Resistant Depression and Response to Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Pilot Longitudinal Study

J ECT. 2024 Aug 21. doi: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000001060. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ From the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
² Genetics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
³ Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari Italy.
⁴ Psychiatric Hospital "Villa Santa Chiara," Verona, Italy.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia and.

PMID: 39178054
DOI: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000001060

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, we investigated if changes in leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-cn), 2 markers of cellular aging, are associated with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and with response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Methods: LTL and mtDNA-cn were measured in 31 TRD patients before (T0), 1 week (T1), and 4 weeks (T2) after the ECT course, as well as in a sample of 65 healthy controls.

Results: TRD patients had significantly shorter LTL and higher mtDNA-cn compared with healthy controls at baseline. In the TRD sample, LTL was inversely correlated with Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores at baseline. Baseline levels of LTL or mtDNA-cn were not correlated with response to ECT. Similarly, changes in LTL or mtDNA-cn were not associated with response to ECT either when considered as a dichotomous trait (responders vs nonresponders) or as a percentage change in symptoms improvements.

Conclusions: Ours is the first longitudinal study exploring the role of LTL and mtDNA-cn in response to ECT. Findings of this pilot investigation suggest that LTL and mtDNA-cn may constitute disease biomarkers for TRD but are not involved in response to ECT.