title: Plasma BDNF is reduced among middle-aged and elderly women with impaired insulin function: evidence of a compensatory mechanism.
abstract: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a regulatory role in neuronal differentiation and synaptic plasticity and has been linked to glucose regulation and cognition. Associations among plasma BDNF, cognition, and insulin function were explored. Forty-one participants with impaired insulin function (IIF), ranging from insulin resistance to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), were matched with 41 healthy controls on gender, age, education, and IQ. Participants received complete medical, neurological, psychiatric, and neuropsychological evaluations. IIF individuals had significantly lower plasma BDNF levels than controls, particularly females, and higher BDNF levels were associated with poorer explicit memory in IIF females, suggesting that higher levels within this group may reflect the body's efforts to respond to damage. After accounting for age, education, and HbA1c, BDNF significantly predicted 13.1-23.5% of the variance in explicit memory in IIF women. These findings suggest that BDNF elevations within diseased groups may not always be a marker of health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, Millhauser Laboratories, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Alyssa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arentoft
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sweat
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Starr
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hassenstab
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bruehl
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tirsi
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Javier
authors.forename: Pauline F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Convit
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018579:Patient Selection; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor