title: Cognitive functions and serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in patients with major depressive disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We assessed major cognitive domains in major depressive disorder (MDD) compared to a healthy control group using neurocognitive tests. We hypothesized that lower serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels would be associated with poorer neurocognitive performance in patients with major depression and that these associations would be shown in healthy controls as well.
  
  
  METHODS
  Executive functions, sustaining and focusing of attention, memory functions, and verbal fluency were assessed in this study using the Trail-Making Test (TMT), Stroop Color Word Interference Test-TBAG Form (SCWT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA), Auditory Consonant Trigram test (ACTT), Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale (DST), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), and Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MDD group showed significantly poorer performance than the control group in cognitive functions; they also had lower levels of BDNF than the control group. However, there was no correlation between cognitive performances and BDNF levels except in the TMT, Part B.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current understanding of the importance of neurocognitive assessment and related biological markers in depression is improving. Further studies with larger sample sizes evaluating neurocognitive functions with molecular analyses of BDNF levels may reveal a novel marker for predicting and monitoring neurocognitive deficits in depression.
authors.affiliation: Ataturk University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey. oralelif@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oral
authors.forename: Serpil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canpolat
authors.forename: Serap
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gulec
authors.forename: Elvin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aliyev
authors.forename: Nazan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aydin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor