Metabolic profiling reveals potential biomarkers and underlying signaling pathways involved in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy-improved adolescent depression symptoms.
EXCLI journal January 1, 2026 Chun-Hua Xu, Bi-Lan Zhang, Chun-Lan Guan et al.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) alleviates anxiety and depression in adolescents and alters their metabolic profiles. In a comparison of 35 adolescents with depression receiving MBCT, 35 receiving conventional treatment, and 30 healthy controls, MBCT significantly improved symptom scores. Metabolomic analysis identified 203 upregulated and 186 downregulated metabolites in the MBCT group. Notably, arachidonic acid levels decreased and were linked to clinical improvement, suggesting involvement in the long-term depression pathway. A combination of five metabolites showed strong potential for predicting MBCT efficacy.