Evolocumab intensive lipid-lowering therapy on prognosis of post-cerebral infarction depression

Table 7 Correlations between changes in biomarkers and clinical outcomes

Correlation pair (Δ baseline to week 24)	Pearson r	P value
PCSK9 and depression severity
Δ PCSK9 vs Δ HAMD-17	0.618	< 0.001
Δ PCSK9 vs Δ HAMA	0.542	< 0.001
PCSK9 and inflammation
Δ PCSK9 vs Δ IL-6	0.523	< 0.001
Δ PCSK9 vs Δ TNF-α	0.487	< 0.001
Δ PCSK9 vs Δ hs-CRP	0.456	< 0.001
PCSK9 and cognition
Δ PCSK9 vs Δ MoCA	-0.412	< 0.001
Inflammation and depression
Δ IL-6 vs Δ HAMD-17	0.578	< 0.001
Δ TNF-α vs Δ HAMD-17	0.503	< 0.001
Δ hs-CRP vs Δ HAMD-17	0.445	< 0.001
Neurotrophic factors and outcomes
Δ BDNF vs Δ HAMD-17	-0.528	< 0.001
Δ BDNF vs Δ MoCA	0.492	< 0.001
Depression and cognitive function
Δ HAMD-17 vs Δ MoCA	-0.465	< 0.001
Δ HAMD-17 vs Δ Barthel Index	-0.521	< 0.001

Δ denotes change from baseline to week 24. Negative correlations indicate inverse relationships (e.g., greater proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 reduction associated with greater Montreal Cognitive Assessment improvement). All correlations are statistically significant. PCSK9: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9; HAMD-17: 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale; HAMA: Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale; IL-6: Interleukin-6; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha; hs-CRP: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein; BDNF: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; MoCA: Montreal Cognitive Assessment.