Association of plasma cytokines and antidepressant response following mild-intensity whole-body hyperthermia in major depressive disorder.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial
PubMed 37085494 · doi:10.1038/s41398-023-02402-9
What was done
Thirty participants meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for major depressive disorder were randomized to receive a single session of whole-body hyperthermia (WBH, n = 16) or a sham treatment (n = 14). Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores were measured at baseline and at 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks post-treatment. Plasma cytokine concentrations were assessed at baseline, immediately post-treatment, and at 1 and 4 weeks post-treatment.
What was found
Compared to sham, WBH significantly increased plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) immediately post-treatment (time by treatment: χ2(3, N=108) = 47.33, p < 0.001), with no acute effect on other cytokines and no significant differences in IL-6 or other cytokines at 1 or 4 weeks post-treatment. Across the full sample, higher post-treatment IL-6 levels were associated with lower HDRS depression scores over the 6 weeks of follow-up (F(1, 102.3) = 6.74, p = 0.01).
Why it matters
These findings indicate that the antidepressant effect of whole-body hyperthermia is linked to a transient, isolated acute surge in IL-6 rather than broad anti-inflammatory suppression.
Limits
The study is limited by a very small sample size (30 participants total across two groups). The abstract does not specify which other cytokines were measured, nor does it report patient demographics or concurrent medication use.
Cited by
- supports The magnitude of acute IL-6 elevation from whole-body hyperthermia strongly correlated with antidepressant response one week later.