Serum homocysteine showed potential association with cognition and abnormal gut microbiome in major depressive disorder

Table 1 Demographic characteristics and clinical data of patients with major depressive disorder and healthy controls, mean ± SD

Characteristic	MDD (n = 67)	HCs (n = 94)	t or χ2	P value
Age (years)	34.97 ± 14.01	35.46 ± 11.44	0.23	0.82
Sex (male/female)	30/37	32/64	1.48	0.22
Education (years)	13.97 ± 2.82	14.80 ± 3.73	1.59	0.12
Body mass index (kg/m2)	23.97 ± 3.89	23.14 ± 3.57	-1.39	0.17
Duration (years)	5.09 ± 6.25	NA	NA	NA
Hcy (μmol/L)	20.94 ± 15.88	14.28 ± 4.17	-3.35	0.001b
HAMD-17 scores	22.37 ± 6.19	0.66 ± 1.41	-28.18	< 0.001c
MATRICS consensus cognitive battery
Speed of processing	53.57 ± 9.94	63.63 ± 13.16	5.52	< 0.001c
Attention/vigilance	50.99 ± 8.78	53.32 ± 8.10	1.74	0.08
Working memory	54.49 ± 8.49	61.27 ± 9.81	4.56	< 0.001c
Verbal learning	53.09 ± 9.44	57.24 ± 11.01	2.5	0.01a
Visual learning	48.40 ± 10.51	55.13 ± 9.29	4.28	< 0.001c
Reasoning and problem-solving	51.04 ± 10.15	58.39 ± 5.69	5.36	< 0.001c
Social cognition	45.16 ± 11.31	53.77 ± 10.66	4.92	< 0.001c
Total score	51.33 ± 8.56	59.73 ± 7.80	6.47	< 0.001c

^aP < 0.05.

^bP < 0.01.

^cP < 0.001.

Hcy: Homocysteine; HAMD: Hamilton depression rating scale; MDD: Major depressive disorder; HC: Healthy control; NA: Not applicable.