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This study examined the association of multiple mental health measures with involuntary delayed retirement (IDR) in working older adults (≥ 65 years) in the USA. Data were derived from the Health and Retirement Study, focusing on two combined waves of working older adults in 2010 and 2012. IDR was measured as the desire to stop working but the inability to do so due to financial constraints. In addition, mental health outcomes included depression, anxiety, anger-in, and anger-out. Using Stata 16.0, primary analyses were conducted for descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression. The odds ratios were reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Older adults who reported IDR were more likely to have depression (OR = 3.20, CI = 1.03–9.88), anxiety (OR = 2.12, CI = 1.00–5.18), and anger-in (OR = 1.71, CI = 1.12–2.60) compared to those who did not report IDR. However, IDR was not significantly associated with anger-out in older adults who worked past the traditional retirement age. The findings suggest that IDR is likely to act as a stressor and affects the mental health of older adults aged 65 and more. Policymakers should pay more attention to helping older adults maintain positive mental health even if they are required to work past retirement age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have suggested Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factors (BDNF) increase after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) although they were methodologically limited and enrolled small sample sizes. We aimed at updating a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore BDNF changes after ECT for the treatment of depression. PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase and Global health were searched (March, 2021). Clinical trials that measured BDNF in the blood before and after ECT in adults (≥ 18 years old) with depression (major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder) were eligible. Data were pooled through random-effects meta-analyses. Twenty-eight studies involving 778 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed a significant increase in BDNF levels after ECT (Hedges' g = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.46) while there was evidence of significant heterogeneity (I2 = 67.64%) but not publication bias/small-study effect. Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were underpowered to detect significant differences. Meta-analysis of depression severity scores demonstrated a considerable larger treatment effect in reducing depressive symptoms after ECT (Hedge's g = −3.72 95% CI: −4.23, −3.21). This updated review showed that BDNF blood levels increased after ECT treatment. However, there was still evidence of substantial heterogeneity and there were limited sample sizes to investigate factors driving the variability of effects across studies. Importantly, the increase in BDNF levels was substantially smaller than the observed in depressive symptomatology, which could be indicative that the former was independent than the latter. Additional studies with larger sample sizes are currently required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Executive dysfunctions are frequently seen in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and normalise in many cases during effective antidepressant therapy. This study investigated whether a normalisation of executive dysfunctions during antidepressant treatment correlates with or can be predicted by clinical parameters or levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Methods: In 110 MDD patients with executive dysfunctions (percentile <16), executive functions and plasma BDNF levels were analysed at baseline, and days 14 and 56 of an antidepressant treatment. BDNF exon IV and P11 methylation status was studied at baseline. Results: Eighty patients (73%) experienced a normalisation of executive dysfunctions, while 30 (27%) suffered from persistent dysfunctions until day 56. Patients with persistent dysfunctions had significantly higher HAMD scores at days 14 and 56, and lower plasma BDNF levels at each time point than patients with a normalisation of dysfunctions (F1= 10.18; P = 0.002). This was seen for verbal fluency, but not processing speed. BDNF exon IV and p11 promoter methylation was not associated with test performance. Conclusions: Our results corroborate a concomitant amelioration of executive dysfunctions with successful antidepressant therapy and support a role of BDNF in the neural mechanisms underlying the normalisation of executive dysfunctions in MDD. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00974155; EudraCT: 2008-008280-96 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Low serum BDNF levels have been found in depressed patients. No study has systematically investigated whether individual symptoms or symptom profiles within a depressed population contribute to low BDNF levels found in depressed subjects. Methods. All 1070 patients with a past 6-month diagnosis of major depressive disorder from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) were included. Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (IDS) items were tested individually in separate multiple regression analyses with serum BDNF level as the dependent and the CIDI or IDS item as independent variable. Subsequently, we compared BDNF levels between patients with seasonal affective disorder (based on the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire) and melancholic depression, atypical depression and moderate depression (based on a latent class analysis). All analyses were adjusted for confounders. Results. Only one item was significantly associated with serum BDNF levels, namely the CIDI item 'loss of interest' (β = 0.14; P < 0.01). Counterintuitively the presence of this symptom was associated with higher BDNF levels. Other items and the comparison between different types of depression did not reveal significant differences. Conclusions. Decreased serum BDNF levels in depression cannot be attributed to a specific symptom or symptom cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in major depressive disorder and neurodegenerative diseases. Clinical studies, showing decreased serum BDNF levels, are difficult to interpret due to limited knowledge of potential confounders and mixed results for age and sex effects. We explored potential determinants of serum BDNF levels in a community sample of 1230 subjects. Methods. Multiple linear regression analyses with serum BDNF level as the dependent variable were conducted to explore the effect of four categories of potential BDNF determinants (sampling characteristics, sociodemographic variables, lifestyle factors and somatic diseases) and of self-reported depressive symptoms (Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI). Results. Our results show that BDNF levels decline with age in women, whereas in men levels remain stable. Moreover, after controlling for age and gender, the assays still showed lower serum BDNF levels with higher BDI sum scores. Effects remained significant after correction for two main confounders (time of sampling and smoking), suggesting that they serve as molecular trait factors independent of lifestyle factors. Conclusions. Given the age-sex interaction on serum BDNF levels and the known association between BDNF and gonadal hormones, research is warranted to delineate the effects of the latter interaction on the risk of psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been used clinically since 1938. Its most common use is in the treatment of depression: first line treatment where rapid recovery is a priority, but more frequently as an effective treatment for patients who do not respond to pharmacological and psychological approaches. Whilst it is widely hailed as an effective treatment, concerns about its effect on cognition remain. The development of magnetic seizure therapy (MST) over the past decade has attempted to devise a therapy with comparable efficacy to ECT, but without the associated cognitive side effects. The rationale for this is that MST uses magnetic fields to induce seizures in the cortex, without electrical stimulation of brain structures involved with memory. MST has been used successfully in the treatment of depression, yet there is a dearth of literature in comparison with ECT. We present a systematic review of the literature on ECT (from 2009-2011) and MST (from 2001-2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]