Serum Homocysteine Levels and Its Correlation with Executive Functions in Drug Naïve Patients of Depression: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Cognitive impairments, especially executive dysfunction are found to be impaired in patients with depression.Homocysteine is widely implicated in the pathophysiology of a variety of psychiatric disorders because it has a crucial role in cognitive functioning.The level of homocysteine in healthy, elderly individuals is being acknowledged as a risk factor for age-related cognitive impairments and dementia.Therefore, further research is required to understand its role in cognitive impairment, including executive dysfunction, common in depression.Aim: To estimate the level of serum homocysteine in drug nave patients of depression and determine the correlation with executive functions in the patients.Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study done on 50 drug nave patients diagnosed with depression as per the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) criteria.The patients were assessed using the sociodemographic and clinical proforma and their anthropometric measurements (height and weight) were taken.Assessment of the severity of depression was done using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D).Stroop test was used to assess executive functioning.Blood samples were collected to assess serum homocysteine levels.The correlation between serum homocysteine levels and executive functioning was determined using appropriate statistical methods.Results: The correlation between serum homocysteine levels and executive function in the study participants was found to be statistically insignificant. Conclusion:The correlation between serum homocysteine levels and executive functioning in drug nave patients of depression was not found to be significant.Hence, the role of homocysteine as a predictor and therapeutic target for the impairment in executive functioning in patients of depression remains yet unclear.Clinical significance: Knowledge about the biological basis of executive dysfunction in depression may aid in the development of newer strategies for treatment as well as for monitoring treatment response.