Psychopharmacology DOI 10.1007/s00213-009-1665-6
ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION
Decreased levels of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor in drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenia: relationship to clinical phenotypes Da Chun Chen & Jing Wang & Bo Wang & Sheng Chang Yang & Chong Xi Zhang & You Lan Zheng & Yan Li Li & Ning Wang & Ke Bing Yang & Mei Hong Xiu & Thomas R. Kosten & Xiang Yang Zhang
Received: 25 June 2009 / Accepted: 1 September 2009 # Springer-Verlag 2009
Abstract Objective There is accumulating evidence that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may be involved in the pathophysiology of patients with schizophrenia. Clinical studies show reductions in BDNF in schizophrenic patients treated with first generation antipsychotics or second These three authors (Da Chun Chen, Jing Wang, and Bo Wang) contributed equally to the study. D. C. Chen : Y. L. Li : N. Wang : K. B. Yang : M. H. Xiu Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China J. Wang : S. C. Yang College of Life Science, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, People’s Republic of China B. Wang : Y. L. Zheng College of Chinese Medicinal Material, Jilin Agricultural University, ChangChun 130118, People’s Republic of China C. X. Zhang Marine College, Shandong University at Weihai, Shandong Weihai 264209, People’s Republic of China T. R. Kosten (*) Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, VA Medical Center, Research Building 110, Room 229, 2002 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030, USA e-mail:
[email protected] X. Y. Zhang (*) Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, VA Medical Center, Research Building 109, Room 130, 2002 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030, USA email:
[email protected]
generation antipsychotics. However, there have been few systematic studies to examine the relationship between BDNF levels and psychopathology in first-episode and drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia. Materials and methods Serum BDNF levels were determined using enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the serum of 88 never-medicated first-episode and 90 healthy controls subjects matched for age and gender. The schizophrenia symptomatology and the depressive symptoms were assessed by the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) and the Hamilton rating (HAMD) scale for depression. Results The results showed that BDNF levels were significantly lower in first-episode patients with schizophrenia than in healthy control subjects (9.0±4.2 ng/ml vs 12.1±2.2 ng/ml; F=37.6; df=1, 176; p0.05), the principal outcome analysis consisted of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc tests was conducted, followed by Fisher’s least significant difference (LSD) test. Where there was a significance in ANOVA, the effect of sex, age, education, smoking, and body mass index (BMI) were tested by adding these variables to the analysis model as covariates. Relationships between variables have been assessed with Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficients. Data were presented as mean ± SD. Differences at p0.05). Age of onset of psychosis, duration of illness, age of hospitalization, and family history of psychosis did not significantly correlate with BDNF levels in the patient group (all p>0.05). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels were markedly lower in serum of never-medicated patients than in controls (9.0±4.2 ng/ml vs 12.1±2.2 ng/ml; F=37.6; df=1, 176; p
