The winner of the European Journal of Psychotraumatology Best Paper Award is:
Carvalho Silva, R. et al. (2024). DNA methylation changes in association with trauma-focused psychotherapy efficacy in treatment-resistant depression patients: a prospective longitudinal study. (DOI)
The study examined thirty patients who had been exposed to early life stresses and presented with treatment-resistant depression. Patients received either trauma-focused CBT or EMDR psychotherapy. On competition, the study found specific DNA methylation changes associated with trauma-focused psychotherapy, highlighting potential biological pathways that play a role in trauma-focused psychotherapy outcomes. The most significant findings related to the group of patients undergoing EMDR treatment. The findings point to the importance of several genes and biological pathways involved in the inflammatory and immune system.
According to the study team, the identification of specific epigenomic signatures in response to trauma-focused psychotherapy is a hallmark for personalised mental health care. Further work identifying potential epigenetic biomarkers could help predict therapy response and disease outcomes.
The annual Best Paper Award recognises excellence in work published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology (EJPT) in the preceding year. The EJPT is a peer-reviewed open access interdisciplinary journal owned by the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS). ESTSS members are eligible for discounted article processing charges.
Speaking on behalf of the team, Dr Alessandra Minelli said: “This study bridges psychiatry and epigenomics, offering the first longitudinal evidence that trauma-focused psychotherapy, particularly EMDR, can lead to measurable DNA methylation changes in individuals with treatment-resistant depression.”
The multinational team comprised Rosana Carvalho Silva (University of Brescia, Italy), Paolo Martini (University of Brescia), Christa Hohoff (University of Münster, Germany), Stefania Mattevi (University of Brescia), Marco Bortolomasi (Villa Santa Chiara Psychiatric Hospital, Italy), Valentina Menesello (IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Italy), Massimo Gennarelli (University of Brescia & University of Melbourne, Australia ), Bernhard T Baune (University of Münster & University of Melbourne, Australia), Alessandra Minelli (University of Brescia & IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli).
The winners will be celebrated at ESTSS 2025 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Tickets and information are available at: www.estss2025.com
The article can be downloaded from the EJPT website with full citation:
Carvalho Silva, R. et al. (2024), Martini, P., Hohoff, C., Mattevi, S., Bortolomasi, M., Menesello, V., Gennarelli, M., Baune, B. T., & Minelli, A. (2024). DNA methylation changes in association with trauma-focused psychotherapy efficacy in treatment-resistant depression patients: a prospective longitudinal study. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15(1), 2314913. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2024.2314913
