LAUSR

Background Weight change is a common adverse effect of antidepressant treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify genetic variants associated with change in body weight during antidepressant treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). Methods Genotyping and objectively measured weight change data were available for 340 unrelated adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) treated with escitalopram over a 26-week period in the Genome-Based Therapeutic Drugs for Depression (GENDEP) project. We performed a genome-wide association analysis of change in Body Mass Index (BMI). Next, we meta-analyzed the GENDEP results with those obtained from two cohorts of 195 and 144 individuals treated with SSRIs with objective measurement of weight and genotyped as part of the Partners HealthCare Biobank initiative. Finally, we conducted gene-wide analyses to identify genes associated with weight change during SSRI treatment. Results We identified 3 independent associations (p Discussion We provide preliminary evidence that uncommon and common genetic variation contributes to weight change during treatment with antidepressant drugs. Confirmation in larger samples is needed to identify clinically useful variants.