Clinical Outcomes and Genome-Wide Association for a Brain Methylation Site in an Antidepressant Pharmacogenetics Study in Mexican Americans

Objective:The authors compared the effectiveness of fluoxetineand desipraminetreatment in a prospective double-blind pharmacogeneticsstudy in first-generation Mexican Americans and examined the role of whole- exomefunctional gene variations in the patients’ antidepressant response.Method:A total of 232 Mexican Americans who met DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorderwere randomly assigned to receive 8 weeks of double-blind treatment with desipramine(50–200 mg/day) or fluoxetine(10–40 mg/day) after a 1-week placebo lead-in period. Outcome measures included the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale(HAM-D), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. At week 8, whole- exomegenotyping data were obtained for 36 participants who remitted and 29 who did not respond to treatment.Results:Compared with desipraminetreatment, fluoxetinetreatment was associated with a greater reduction in HAM-D score, higher response and remission rates, shorter time to response and remission, and l...