title: Relationships between stress, social adaptation, personality traits, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol plasma concentrations in employees at a publishing company in Japan.
abstract: There is growing evidence that blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), a major metabolite of noradrenaline, are related to depression-associated personality traits as well as to depressive, suicidal and anxious states. Psychological job stress is well known to lead to symptoms of depression, anxiety and suicide. We have recently reported that psychological job stress among hospital employees altered blood levels of BDNF and MHPG (Mitoma et al., 2008). In the present study, we re-examined the effects of social adaptation and personality traits, as well as those of psychological job stress, on plasma levels of BDNF and MHPG in healthy employees (n=269, male/female=210/59, age=49 ± 10years) working in a publishing company in Japan. The values (mean ± SD) of scores on the Stress and Arousal Check Lists (s-SACL and a-SACL), Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS), plasma MHPG levels and plasma BDNF levels were 6.0 ± 3.4, 5.7 ± 2.3, 33.7 ± 6.8, 5.8 ± 4.3 and 4.6 ± 3.1ngml(-1), respectively. A positive correlation was found between plasma MHPG levels and scores on the s-SACL, but not the a-SACL. A positive correlation was also found between SASS scores and plasma MHPG levels and between SASS scores and plasma BDNF levels. A negative correlation was found between plasma BDNF levels and s-SACL scores. Furthermore, a positive correlation between NEO-Five factor Inventory (Openness) scores and plasma MHPG levels was observed, as well as between NEO-Five factor Inventory (Extroversion) scores and plasma BDNF levels. These results suggest that levels of plasma BDNF and plasma MHPG might be associated with psychological job stress and certain personality traits among employees in the publishing industry in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kanae
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okuno
authors.forename: Reiji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: Nobuhisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ikenouchi-Sugita
authors.forename: Wakako
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Umene-Nakano
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Asuka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Katsuki
authors.forename: Hsin-I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D004651:Employment; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol / Q000097:blood*; D010551:Personality; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011643:Publishing; D012737:Sex Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood*; D000078329:Workforce
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C019277:brain-derived growth factor; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol