Social cognition and interactive training for first-episode, drug-naïve MDD patients

Jiaxin Li¹Ru Li¹Dazhi Li¹Shiyi Suzy Ji²Xingguang Luo³Yong Zhang^1*

• ¹Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin, China
• ²Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, United States
• ³Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States

Objective: This study aimed to explore the impacts of social cognition and interaction training (SCIT) on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) levels, and psychosocial function in first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. Methods: In this 8-week randomized controlled trial (RCT), 45 MDD patients were assigned to SCIT group and 39 to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) group. The 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale (HDRS-17) and the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) were performed to measure depressive symptoms and functional impairment severity, respectively. We also collected blood samples for serum BDNF/GDNF level detection. Results: Compared to CBT, SCIT demonstrated significantly greater improvements in total FAST scores (F (1,82) = 109.21, p < 0.001, η²ₚ = 0.57); especially in occupational (F (1,82) = 16.69, p < 0.001, η²ₚ =0.17); cognitive (F (1,82) = 103.51, p < 0.001, η²ₚ =0.56), and interpersonal relationship domains (F (1,82) =65.07, p < 0.001, η²ₚ = 0.44). Changes in serum GDNF levels were positively associated with changes in autonomy (r (40) = 0.32, 95% CI = [0.02, 0.57], p = 0.038), and financial domains (r (40) = 0.44, 95% CI = [0.15, 0.65], p = 0.004) in SCIT group. Conclusion: Improvements in social function through SCIT can be effectively generalized to MDD patients. Moreover, improved GDNF levels were associated with improvements in specific aspects of social functioning post-SCIT.