Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and peripheral indicators of the serotonin system in underweight and weight-recovered adolescent girls and women with anorexia nervosa.
BACKGROUND
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mutant mice show hyperphagia and hyperleptinemia. Animal and cell-culture experiments suggest multiple interrelations between BDNF and the serotonin (5-HT) system. We studied serum BDNF in patients with anorexia nervosa and its associations with peripheral indicators of the 5-HT system. To control for secondary effects of acute malnutrition, we assessed acutely underweight patients with anorexia nervosa (acAN) in comparison to long-term weight-recovered patients with the disorder (recAN) and healthy controls.


METHODS
We determined serum BDNF, platelet 5-HT content and platelet 5-HT uptake in 33 patients in the acAN group, 20 patients in the recAN group and 33 controls. Plasma leptin served as an indicator of malnutrition.


RESULTS
Patients in the acAN group were aged 14-29 years and had a mean body mass index (BMI) of 14.9 (standard deviation [SD] 1.4) kg/m(2). Those in the recAN group were aged 15-29 years and had a mean BMI of 20.5 (SD 1.3) kg/m(2) and the controls were aged 15-26 years and had a BMI of 21.4 (SD 2.1) kg/m(2). The mean serum BDNF levels were significantly increased in the recAN group compared with the acAN group (8820, SD 3074 v. 6161, SD 2885 pg/mL, U = 154.5, p = 0.001). There were no significant associations between BDNF and either platelet 5-HT content or platelet 5-HT uptake. Among patients with anorexia nervosa, we found significant positive linear relations between BDNF and BMI (r = 0.312, p = 0.023) and between BDNF and leptin (r = 0.365, p = 0.016).


CONCLUSIONS
We measured the signal proteins under study in peripheral blood.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum BDNF levels in patients with anorexia nervosa depend on the state of illness and the degree of hypoleptinemia. Upregulation of BDNF in weight-recovered patients with anorexia nervosa could be part of a regenerative process after biochemical and molecular neuronal injury due to prolonged malnutrition. Associations between the BDNF and the 5-HT system in humans remain to be established.
Ehrlich
Stefan
S
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. stefan@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
Salbach-Andrae
Harriet
H
Eckart
Sarah
S
Merle
Julia V
JV
Burghardt
Roland
R
Pfeiffer
Ernst
E
Franke
Leonora
L
Uebelhack
Ralf
R
Lehmkuhl
Ulrike
U
Hellweg
Rainer
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood*
D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D020738:Leptin; D012701:Serotonin