title: Correlations between amygdala volumes and serum levels of BDNF and NGF as a neurobiological markerin adolescents with bipolar disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The amygdala is repeatedly implicated as a critical component of the neurocircuitry regulating emotional valence. Studies have frequently reported reduced amygdala volumes in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD). Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) play critical roles in growth, differentiation, maintenance, and synaptic plasticity of neuronal systems in adolescent brain development. The aim of the present study was to assess amygdala volumesand its correlation with serum levels of NGF and BDNF in euthymic adolescents with BD and healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using structural MRI, we compared the amygdala volumes of 30 euthymic subjects with BD with 23 healthy control subjects aged between 13 and 19 years during a naturalistic clinical follow-up. The boundaries of the amygdala were outlined manually. Serum BDNF and NGF levels were measured using sandwich-ELISA and compared between the study groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The right or left amygdala volume did not differ between the study groups.The right and left amygdala volumes were highly correlated with levels of BDNF in the combined BD group and the valproate-treated group.Both R and L amygdala volumes were correlated with BDNF levels in healthy controls. The left amygdala volumes were correlated with BDNF levels in the lithium-treated group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This cross-sectional study cannot inform longitudinal changes in brain structure. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to improve reliability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The correlations between amygdala volumes and BDNF levels might be an early neuromarker for diagnosis and/or treatment response in adolescents with BD.
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Izmir, Turkey. Electronic address: neslihan.emiroglu@deu.edu.tr.
authors.forename: F Neslihan
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Inal-Emiroglu
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, Radiology Department, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nuri
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karabay
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, Medical Biochemistry Department, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Resmi
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, Radiology Department, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Handan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guleryuz
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Burak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baykara
authors.affiliation: Behcet Uz Children Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alsen
authors.affiliation: Manisa Mental Health Hospital, Manisa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Birsen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Senturk-Pilan
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aynur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akay
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction (CNRA), Houston, TX, United States.
authors.forename: Samet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kose
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D009929:Organ Size; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C502240:NGF protein, human; D014635:Valproic Acid; C579455:BDNF protein, human; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor
keywords: Adolescents; Amygdala volumes; BDNF; Bipolar disorder; NGF