Results from a two-way ANOVA indicated that MDD patients could be differentiated from non-depressed patients at baseline by the composite z-scores of TP53, NR3C1, and RELA, which were normalized after surgery when patients were no longer depressed (Fig. 3) (for each graph two-way ANOVA interaction (MDD x Surgery) p < 0.01, Bonferroni post hoc tests: MDD versus non-depressed patients before surgery p < 0.001, MDD versus non-depressed patients after surgery p = ns, MDD patients before surgery versus after surgery p < 0.001). Here, RELA is linked to major depressive disorder.