Serum BDNF Levels in Suicide Attempters Related to Psychosocial Stressors: A Comparative Study with Depression

Abstract

Although many studies have examined the neurobiological aspects of suicide, the molecular mechanisms and pathophysiologic mechanisms associated with suicide remain unclear. In this study, it is aimed to investigate whether there is a difference in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels among suicide attempters without a major psychiatric disorder, compared to major depressive disorder patients and healthy subjects. It was undertaken with the hypothesis that suicide per se lowers serum BDNF levels, since it is a source of stress. The study was carried out in Celal Bayar University Hospital, Manisa, Turkey. Ten suicide attempters, 24 patients with major depressive disorder and 26 subjects without any psychiatric diagnosis and any psychiatric treatment were included in the study. All subjects were asked to give their written consent. Blood samples were collected at the baseline. Serum BDNF was kept at –70°C before testing, and assayed with an ELISA kit (Promega; Madison, Wisc., USA) after dilution with the block and sample solution provided with the kit. The data were subjected to the Kruskal-Wallis test for nonparametric analysis of variance. Mean serum BDNF levels were significantly lower in the suicide group (21.2 ± 12.4 ng/ml) and the major depressive disorder group (21.2 ± 11.3 ng/ml) than the control group (31.4 ± 8.8 ng/ml; p = 0.004). These results suggest that BDNF may play an important role in the neurobiology of suicidal behavior. BDNF levels may be a biological marker for suicidal behavior. To investigate the role of BDNF in suicide, further studies with a wider sample size and a variety of psychiatric diagnoses accompanying suicide attempt are needed.

Association of Polymorphism (Val66Met) of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor with Suicide Attempts in Depressed Patients

“…Like Dwivedi et al [6,7] , Karege et al [8] also concluded that BDNF may play a role in the pathophysiology of suicidal behaviour. Most recently, serum levels of BDNF were found to be significantly lower among depressed patients who had recently attempted suicide compared with non-suicidal depressed patients and healthy controls [9][10][11] . Low serum BDNF levels have also been found to be associated with vulnerability to traumatic life events in bipolar disorder [12] .…”

Antidepresan İlaçların Öğrenme ve Bellek Mekanizmasına Etkileri

“…Pek çok çalışmada tedavi almayan majör depresyon hastalarının serum BDNF seviyeleri kontrol grubuna kıyasla anlamlı derecede düşük bulunmuştur [70][71][72][73] . Literatürde BDNF düzeyleri ile özkıyım davranışı arasındaki ilişkiyi araştıran çalışmalarda özkıyım girişiminde bulunan depresif hastaların bulunmayanlara ve kontrollere kıyasla düşük BDNF düzeylerine sahip oldukları saptanmıştır 74,75 . Çalışmalar düşük BDNF seviyelerinin antidepresan tedavi yada elektrokonvulsif tedavi sonrası yükseldiğini saptamaktadır [76][77][78] .…”

Factor neurotrófico derivado del cerebro como marcador de conducta suicida en pacientes con trastorno depresivo mayor

“…Deveci y cols. 26 , investigaron los niveles séricos de BDNF entre 10 intentos de suicidio sin trastornos psiquiá-tricos graves, 24 pacientes con depresión mayor y 26 sujetos sanos, y encontraron que los niveles séricos de BDNF fueron menores entre los intentos de suicidio y los pacientes deprimidos que entre los controles sanos. Lee y cols.…”