Plasma levels of glutamate during stroke is associated with development of post-stroke depression.

BACKGROUND

Depression is a frequent mood disorder that affects around 33% of stroke patient. Our aim was to test the possible association between plasma glutamate and the development of post-stroke depression (PSD) in Chinese patients.

METHODS

The subjects were first-ever acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who were hospitalized during the period from November 2011 to September 2013. Clinical information and stroke severity was collected at admission. Neurological and neuropsychological evaluations were conducted at the 3-month follow-up. Plasma glutamate levels were analyzed at baseline using liquid chromatography followed by tandem mass spectrometry. Glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and blood markers were also tested. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

During the study period, 209 patients were included in the analysis. Seventy patients (33.5%) were diagnosed as having major depression at 3 month. Patients with major depression showed higher levels of plasma glutamate [299 (235-353) vs. 157 (108-206) μM, P<0.0001] and lower GOT [14 (11-20) vs. 21 (15-32)U/L, P<0.0001] at admission. In multivariate analyses, plasma glutamate and GOT were independent predictors of PSD at 3 months [odds ratio (OR): 1.03 (1.02-1.04), P<0.0001; 0.84 (0.75-0.97), P=0.003]. Plasma levels of glutamate >205 μM were independently associated with PSD (OR, 21.3; 95% CI, 8.28-67.36, P<0.0001), after adjustment for possible variables.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrates a strong relationship between plasma glutamate and GOT levels at admission and the development of PSD within 3 months. Further studies are necessary to confirm this association, which may open the way to the proposal of new therapeutic options.