title: Serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in Sydenham's chorea.
abstract: Sydenham's chorea (SC) is the neurologic manifestation of rheumatic fever. In addition to involuntary movements, SC patients show behavioral changes, such as hyperactivity, obsessions, and compulsions. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is related to neuronal development and differentiation. Since BDNF serum levels are altered in a series of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and Huntington's disease, we investigated the serum levels of BDNF in SC patients. Eighteen patients with acute SC, 4 with persistent SC and 27 control subjects were included in this study. BDNF was determined by ELISA. There was no significant difference between BDNF serum levels of control and acute SC groups (P = 0.12). Persistent SC patients presented decreased BDNF levels when compared to both control and acute SC groups (P < 0.001). Our results suggest that the persistence of symptoms in SC may be related to structural changes in the central nervous system as expressed by altered BDNF levels.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Group, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. altexr@gmail.com
authors.forename: Antônio Lúcio
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Thales Lage
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Bretas
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kummer
authors.forename: Lívia Cunha
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baraldi
authors.forename: Estefânia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Harsányi
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Elizabeth Ribeiro
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: da Silva Camargos
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002819:Chorea / Q000097:blood*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor