title: Relationship of circulatory BDNF with cognitive deficits in people with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cognitive function are diminished in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). The relationship of cognitive function and serum level of BDNF, however is yet to be examined. The aim of this study was to examine serum BDNF levels in PD. Subsequently, the relationship of cognitive function to the serum levels of BDNF was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum BDNF levels were measured in 29 idiopathic PD subjects and 30 healthy-matched controls using ELISA technique. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum BDNF levels and MOCA total score were significantly lower (P<0.001) in PD patients versus healthy controls. MOCA total score correlated with serum BDNF (r=0.44; P=0.012) but not with age, years of education, duration of disease and severity of symptoms. The regression analysis showed that serum BDNF accounted (P=0.019) for 19% of MOCA total score variance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data confirm lowered serum BDNF in PD. Additionally; it suggests that BDNF may play a role in the cognitive deficit of PD. Further studies are required to identify association of BDNF in cognitive decline with PD.
authors.affiliation: Jordan University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Irbid, Jordan. Electronic address: hwkhalil8@just.edu.jo.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.affiliation: Jordan University of Science and Technology, Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Irbid, Jordan.
authors.forename: Mahmoud A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alomari
authors.affiliation: Jordan University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Irbid, Jordan.
authors.forename: Omar F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Khabour
authors.affiliation: Jordan University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Art and Sciences, Department of Applied Biology, Irbid, Jordan.
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Hieshan
authors.affiliation: King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Jawad A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bajwa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
keywords: Biomarker; MOCA; Parkinson's disease; Serum BDNF; cognitive function