Plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and fibroblast growth factor 2 in patients with major depressive disorders

We investigated the plasma levels of VEGF and FGF-2, important factors for regulation of neuroplasticity such as neurogenesis, in patients in remission from major depressive disorders (MDD). The plasma VEGF levels were significantly higher in the MDD patients than in the matched control subjects, while no significant difference in plasma FGF-2 levels was found. In particular, the MDD patients with family history of psychiatric disorders, but not patients without such a family history, showed significantly higher values of plasma VEGF than the controls. Although this is a preliminary study, altered VEGF levels might be involved in the pathophysiology of MDD.