Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cortical thickness are differently related in patients with schizophrenia and controls.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in neuronal plasticity, a key process related to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, the relationship of peripheral levels of BDNF to cortical thickness and subcortical structures has not been extensively investigated. This study aims to investigate the relationship of peripheral serum BDNF levels to cortical thickness and volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala. Twenty-nine patients with schizophrenia and 32 healthy controls were included in this study. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans obtained in a 1.5 T scanner were performed in all subjects. Images were processed using Freesurfer software. Blood samples were collected on the same day of the MRI scan for BDNF peripheral levels. Vertex-wise analysis revealed significantly thinner cortex in patients compared with controls. BDNF levels and cortical thickness showed different patterns of correlation for patients and healthy controls in one cluster in the right hemisphere distributed across the supramarginal, postcentral, and inferior frontal cortices.
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences (LINC), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669-3° andar fundos, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Department of Psychosis Study, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF London, UK. Electronic address: andre.zugman@unifesp.br.
Andre
A
Zugman
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences (LINC), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669-3° andar fundos, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Mariana
M
Pedrini
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences (LINC), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669-3° andar fundos, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Schizophrenia Program, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Machado Bitencourt, 222, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, Brazil.
Ary
A
Gadelha
Department of Psychosis Study, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF London, UK.
Matthew J
MJ
Kempton
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences (LINC), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669-3° andar fundos, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Schizophrenia Program, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Machado Bitencourt, 222, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, Brazil.
Cristiano S
CS
Noto
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences (LINC), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669-3° andar fundos, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Rodrigo B
RB
Mansur
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences (LINC), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669-3° andar fundos, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Marcos L
ML
Santoro
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Paulo Gama, 110, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Clarissa S
CS
Gama
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences (LINC), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669-3° andar fundos, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Schizophrenia Program, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Machado Bitencourt, 222, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, Brazil.
Rodrigo A
RA
Bressan
Department of Psychosis Study, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF London, UK.
Philip
P
McGuire
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences (LINC), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669-3° andar fundos, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Andrea P
AP
Jackowski
Schizophrenia Program, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Machado Bitencourt, 222, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, Brazil.
Elisa
E
Brietzke
D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C579455:BDNF protein, human
BDNF; Cortical thickness; Schizophrenia