OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene 677C>T polymorphism with post-stroke depression risk and antidepressant treatment response in Han Chinese.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and Nanjing Brain Hospital, China, between February 2010 and December 2014. It comprised patients who had experienced first-episode acute stroke. Psychological assessment was performed at day 7, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after stroke. Post-stroke depression patients were characterised by clinical response to anti-depressive pharmacological treatment measured by intra-individual changes based on the 17-item Hamilton rating scale for depression scores.

RESULTS

Of the total 292 patients, 11(3.76%) were lost during 6-month follow-up. Our final analysis comprised 106(36.3%) post-stroke depression patients and 175(59.93%) post-stroke depression-free patients. The 677T allele and 677C/T genotype of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene 677C>T polymorphism, which were over-represented in depression patients and were respectively associated with 1.82-fold (p=0.001) and 3.65-fold (p<0.001) increased risk of post-stroke depression relative to the 677C allele and 677C/C genotype. No significant association was observed between this polymorphism and treatment response (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Mutation of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene 677C>T polymorphism was found to be significantly associated with the increased risk of post-stroke depression, but not with treatment response..