Levels of Serum Vitamin B6 and GABA In Clinically Depressed Patients: A Study

ABSTRACT

Background:Depression is the most common type of mental illness. As per the WHO criterion of prevalence of depression, this disease has a prevalence of 4.4% all over the world and 4.5% in India. Some water-soluble vitamins like vitamin B2, B6, B9, B12; play an important role in mental health. Of these vitamins pyridoxal phosphate, the active form of vitamin B6 plays a pivotal role in a number of transamination reactions, decarboxylation reactions and in the control of plasma homocysteine concentration. PLP is vital for the biosynthesis of GABA, which is being used as the neurotransmitter in at least 40% of the inhibitory synaptic processing in the brain. Therefore, the present study was planned to assay the blood levels of vitamin B6 and GABA in patients with depression. The objective of the study was to help psychiatrists to take appropriate and informed decision about supplementation of vitamin B6 and use of specific antidepressant medication in the treatment of depression cases. Methods: Current study was an experimental case control study conducted at Santosh Medical College and Hospitals. A total of 204 (102 controls and 102 patients) both males and females, in the age group between 18-65 years were included in the study. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) 17 items was used to rate the level of depression. Results: In the present study, a total of 204 subjects including 97 females and 107 males participated, out of which 102 were clinically diagnosed cases of depression attending psychiatry OPD and included 55 females and 47 males. 47.1% of the cases were of mild depression, 23.5% were of moderate depression, 11.8% of severe depression and the remaining 17.6% belonged to very severe depression category. The mean value of vitamin B6 was found lowest in severe to very severe depressed patients (5.25) than in mild to moderate depressed patients (8.83) and the mean value of GABA was found to be highest in severe to very severe category (5571.73) than in mild to moderate depressed patients (5184.73). Conclusion: This study showed that majority of the patients with clinical depression had vitamin B6 deficiency and increase in GABA levels.