Decreased serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in elderly korean with dementia.
OBJECTIVE
The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level between elderly Korean people over 65 years with and without dementia.


METHODS
171 individuals over 65 years were enrolled in this study. Screening for cognitive impairments was carried out using the Mini-Mental Status Examination-Korean version (MMSE-KC). One hundred thirty-two subjects scored below 1.5 standard deviations (SD) of the mean MMSE-KC score, and these were evaluated using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease, Korean version (CERAD-K) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDRS) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria were used for further evaluation. Subjects with a CDRS score of 1 or higher were classified as having Alzheimer's disease (AD), and subjects with a CDRS score of 0.5 were classified as having a mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Subjects with a CDRS score of 0 were classified as having aging-associated cognitive decline (AACD). Serum BDNF levels were analyzed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.


RESULTS
The serum BDNF levels were significantly lower in the subjects with MCI and AD compared with the healthy controls (p<0.01). A significant correlation was found between the total MMSE-KC score and serum BDNF level (r=0.295; p<0.01). However, no significant correlation was observed between the severity of MMSE-KC and the total GDS score. A significant difference was found in the total score of GDS between the AACD group and subjects with AD (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggested that BDNF might be involved in the pathophysiology of cognitive decline in elderly people.
Department of Psychiatry, Dong Suh Mental Hospital and Paik Institute for Clinical Research, Inje University, Busan, Korea.
Jung Goo
JG
Lee
Bae Sub
BS
Shin
Young Sun
YS
You
Ji Eun
JE
Kim
Sung Wook
SW
Yoon
Dong Wook
DW
Jeon
Jun Hyung
JH
Baek
Sung Woo
SW
Park
Young Hoon
YH
Kim