title: Left hippocampus-amygdala complex macro- and microstructural variation is associated with BDNF plasma levels in healthy elderly individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Deep brain gray matter (GM) structures are involved in several neurodegenerative disorders and are affected by aging. In this study, we investigated the potential relationship between levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a putative biomarker of age- and clinically relevant brain dysfunctions, and the presence of structural modifications that were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging in six deep GM structures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Volume changes and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scalars were studied in the thalamus, putamen, hippocampus, caudate nucleus, amygdala and pallidum of a cohort of 120 healthy subjects. The cohort included young (18-39 years old), adult (40-59 years old) and elderly (60-76 years old) subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No correlations were seen in the young and adult cohorts. In the elderly group, we observed reduced BDNF levels that correlated with increased DTI-based mean diffusivity occurring in the left hippocampus along with decreased normalized volume in the left amygdala.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that, in elderly subjects, BDNF may exert regional and lateralized effects that allow the integrity of two strategic deep GM areas such as the hippocampus and the amygdala.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Neurology Unit, Center of Excellence on Aging (CeSI) Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonietta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manna
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piras
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia Rome, Italy ; Department of Neuroscience, "Tor Vergata" University Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caltagirone
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bossù
authors.affiliation: Molecular Neurology Unit, Center of Excellence on Aging (CeSI) Chieti, Italy ; Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, 'G. d'Annunzio' University Chieti, Italy ; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California-Irvine Irvine, California.
authors.forename: Stefano L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Sensi
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia Rome, Italy ; Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spalletta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D000679:Amygdala / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C579455:BDNF protein, human
keywords: BDNF; DTI; brain volume