The relationship between Antibody levels against myelin basic protein in depressive disorder, neuroimaging, and functioning

Öksüz S., KARAHAN A., YAMAN H., AKKAYA S.

Journal of psychiatric research, cilt.194, ss.90-98, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 194
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.12.048
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of psychiatric research
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, BIOSIS, EMBASE, Psycinfo
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.90-98
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Autoantibodies, Hippocampal volume, Major depressive Disorder, Neuroinflammation
  • Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects approximately 280 million people worldwide, yet its neurobiological mechanisms remain largely unclear. Anti-myelin basic protein (anti-MBP) antibodies, markers of autoimmune activity, have been associated with various neuropsychiatric conditions, but their role in depression is poorly understood. This study examined the associations between serum anti-MBP levels, depression severity, functioning, and hippocampal volume, and compared anti-MBP levels between patients with MDD and healthy controls. METHODS: Thirty patients diagnosed with MDD who applied to the psychiatry outpatient clinic of Farabi Hospital and 30 healthy controls matched for age, gender and education were included. All participants were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST). Venous blood samples were collected to determine anti-MBP levels. Hippocampal volumes were assessed using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Linear regression analysis in the total sample of participants demonstrated that anti-MBP levels were significantly associated with a decrease in total (p = 0.020), right (p = 0.013), and left (p = 0.046) hippocampal volume. Furthermore, ROC analysis revealed that anti-MBP levels could distinguish MDD patients from healthy controls with high diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a potential association between anti-MBP antibodies and neuroimmune alterations in depression. Across all participants, age- and sex-adjusted regression analyses showed an inverse association between anti-MBP and hippocampal volume. Notably, anti-MBP levels were higher in patients, suggesting its potential utility as a biomarker candidate for future studies in MDD. Consistently, ROC analysis performed well in discriminating between patients and controls.