title: Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Suicide in Schizophrenia: Critical Role of Neuroprotective Mechanisms as an Emerging Hypothesis.
abstract: Suicide is a common occurrence in psychiatric disorders and is a cause of increased healthcare utilization worldwide. Schizophrenia is one of the most common psychiatric disorders worldwide and posited to be seen in 1% of the population worldwide. Suicide is a common occurrence in schizophrenia with 25%-30% patients with schizophrenia attempting suicide and 8%-10% completing it. There is a need for valid biological markers to help clinicians identify patients with schizophrenia that may be at a risk of suicide and thus help in them receiving better care and interventions at the earliest even before a suicide attempt occurring. There are clear neurobiological changes at a genetic, neuroimaging, and neurochemical level that occurs in patients with schizophrenia that attempt suicide. There is a new theory that postulates neuronal plasticity and neuroprotection to have a role in the biological changes that ensue when suicidal thoughts and feelings occur in patients with schizophrenia. Neurotrophic growth factors like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been documented to play a role in the protection of neurons and in the prevention of neurobiological changes that may lead to suicide both in schizophrenia and depression. The present paper presents a commentary that looks at the role of BDNF as a protective factor and neurobiological marker for suicide in schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Parkwood Institute of Mental Health Care and Associate Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Amresh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shrivastava
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Avinash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Sousa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Asha Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: G Prasad
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Rao
keywords: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; neurobiology; neuronal plasticity; neuroprotection; schizophrenia; suicide