Low serum brain derived neurotrophic factor in non-suicidal out-patients with depression: Relation to depression scores.
BACKGROUND
Low brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. The relation between BDNF and severity of depression has been investigated.


OBJECTIVE
In this study, we aimed to measured serum BDNF levels in never-treated non-suicidal out-patients with depression and relate this to the severity of depression.


METHODS
This study was conducted in an out-patient setting in a tertiary care psychiatric hospital on consenting depressed patients.


METHODS
Forty three (19 females) antidepressant-naive out-patients with depression, aged between 18 and 55 years and 24 (13 females) age-matched healthy volunteers gave consent for the study. Serum BDNF levels were assayed by using the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method on morning serum samples before starting treatment. These were compared between patients and controls using independent sample t-test. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess the association between baseline BDNF and Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS).


RESULTS
Serum BDNF was significantly lower in patients with depression (mean±standard deviation (SD)=18.59±4.9 ng/ml) than in healthy volunteers (mean±SD=23.6±5.6 ng/ml; P=0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between the HDRS total scores and BDNF levels (P=0.04), indicating that more severely depressed patients had lower BDNF scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum BDNF level is lower in non-suicidal out-patients with depression. The inverse correlation between ratings of depression and BDNF levels suggests possible relationship between depression, (role of illness on) BDNF levels and neuroplasticity thereof.
Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
S
S
Varambally
G H
GH
Naveen
M G
MG
Rao
J
J
Thirthalli
R
R
Sharma
R
R
Christopher
B N
BN
Gangadhar
Brain derived neurotrophic factor; depression; hamilton depression rating scale