scholarly journals The Influence of Psychotherapy on Peripheral Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Concentration Levels and Gene Methylation Status: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 4424
Author(s):  
Michal Piotrkowicz ◽  
Marlena Janoska-Jazdzik ◽  
Tytus Koweszko ◽  
Agata Szulc

Psychotherapy is a well-established method of treating many mental disorders. It has been proven that psychotherapy leads to structural and functional changes in the brain; however, knowledge about the molecular and cellular mechanisms of these changes is limited. Neuroplasticity and one of its mediators, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are potential research targets in this field. To define the role of BDNF concentration in serum, or in plasma, and BDNF promoter gene methylation in saliva or leucocytes, in psychotherapy, an extensive literature search was conducted in the PubMed and Web of Science databases. The literature review was conducted based on papers published up until May 2021 that included pre and post psychotherapy measurements of either BDNF concentration levels or promoter gene methylation status. Ten studies were indicated as eligible for analysis: eight studies that investigated peripheral BDNF concentration levels, one study that investigated methylation status, and one study that included an evaluation of both subject matters. Patients underwent cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy. Patients were diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or post-traumatic stress disorder. There were only three of the nine studies that showed statistically significant increases in BDNF concentration levels after psychotherapy. The two studies that involved BDNF gene methylation status showed a decrease in methylation after dialectical behavioral therapy of borderline patients.

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 363-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Stratta ◽  
Roberto L. Bonanni ◽  
Patrizia Sanità ◽  
Stefano de Cataldo ◽  
Adriano Angelucci ◽  
...  

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0241928
Author(s):  
Helia Mojtabavi ◽  
Amene Saghazadeh ◽  
Leigh van den Heuvel ◽  
Joana Bucker ◽  
Nima Rezaei

Background Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role in the survival, differentiation, growth, and plasticity of the central nervous system (CNS). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex syndrome that affects CNS function. Evidence indicates that changes in peripheral levels of BDNF may interfere with stress. However, the results are mixed. This study investigates whether blood levels of BDNF in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are different. Methods We conducted a systematic search in the major electronic medical databases from inception through September 2019 and identified Observational studies that measured serum levels of BDNF in patients with PTSD compared to controls without PTSD. Results 20 studies were eligible to be included in the present meta-analysis. Subjects with PTSD (n = 909) showed lower BDNF levels compared to Non-PTSD controls (n = 1679) (SMD = 0.52; 95% confidence interval: 0.18 to 0.85). Subgroup meta-analyses confirmed higher levels of BDNF in patients with PTSD compared to non-PTSD controls in plasma, not serum, and in studies that used sandwich ELISA, not ELISA, for BDNF measurement. Meta-regressions showed no significant effect of age, gender, NOS, and sample size. Conclusions PTSD patients had increased serum BDNF levels compared to healthy controls. Our finding of higher BDNF levels in patients with PTSD supports the notion that PTSD is a neuroplastic disorder.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096452842199939
Author(s):  
Kevin T Liou ◽  
Sheila N Garland ◽  
Q Susan Li ◽  
Keimya Sadeghi ◽  
Jamie Green ◽  
...  

Introduction: Decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with poor sleep. This study examined the effects of acupuncture versus cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on serum BDNF and sleep outcomes in cancer survivors with insomnia. Methods: This was an exploratory analysis of a randomized clinical trial (n = 160) comparing acupuncture versus CBT-I for cancer survivors with insomnia. Interventions were delivered over 8 weeks. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and week 8. Serum BDNF was evaluated with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sleep was evaluated with the insomnia severity index and consensus sleep diary. Pearson correlations between BDNF and sleep outcomes were calculated. Data analysis was limited to 87 survivors who provided serum samples. Results: Among 87 survivors, the mean age was 61.9 (SD: 11.4) years, 51.7% were women, and 24.1% were non-White. Mean serum BDNF did not significantly increase in acupuncture (n = 50) or CBT-I (n = 37) groups. When analysis was restricted to patients with low baseline BDNF (i.e. levels below the sample median of 47.1 ng/mL), the acupuncture group (n = 22) demonstrated a significant 7.2 ng/mL increase in mean serum BDNF (P = 0.03), whereas the CBT-I group (n = 21) demonstrated a non-significant 2.9 ng/mL increase (P = 0.28). Serum BDNF was not significantly correlated with sleep outcomes (all P > 0.05). Conclusion: Among cancer survivors with insomnia and low baseline BDNF, acupuncture significantly increased serum BDNF levels; however, the clinical significance of this finding requires further investigation. Trial registration no. NCT02356575 (ClinicalTrials.gov)


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. e331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice S. Ryan ◽  
Huichun Xu ◽  
Frederick M. Ivey ◽  
Richard F. Macko ◽  
Charlene E. Hafer-Macko

Objective(1) To compare paretic (P) vs nonparetic (NP) skeletal muscle brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the effects of resistive training (RT) on systemic and skeletal muscle BDNF mRNA expression in stroke; and (2) to compare the DNA methylation profile for BDNF and BDNFAS (BDNF antisense RNA) between P and NP muscle and the effects of aerobic exercise training (AEX) on DNA methylation in stroke.MethodsIn this longitudinal investigation, participants (50–76 years) with chronic stroke underwent a fasting blood draw, a 12-week (3×/week) RT intervention (n = 16), and repeated bilateral vastus lateralis muscle tissue biopsies (n = 10) with BDNF expression determined by RT-PCR. Five stroke survivors completed 6 months of AEX (3×/week) and had bilateral muscle biopsies. DNA methylation status in gene BDNF and BDNFAS was assessed by Illumina 450k methylation array.ResultsP muscle had ∼45% lower BDNF mRNA expression than NP muscle (6.79 ± 1.30 vs 10.52 ± 2.06 arbitrary units [AU], p < 0.05), and P muscle exhibited differential methylation status in the DNA sequences of BDNF (3 CpG [5′-C-phosphate-G-3′] sites, p = 0.016–0.044) and BDNFAS (1 CpG site, p = 0.016) compared to NP. Plasma BDNF and muscle BDNF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression did not significantly change after RT. BDNFAS DNA methylation increased after AEX in P relative to NP muscle (p = 0.017).ConclusionsThis is the first evidence that stroke hemiparesis reduces BDNF skeletal muscle expression, with our findings identifying methylation alterations on the DNA sequence of BDNF and BDNFAS gene. Preliminary results further indicate that AEX increases methylation in BDNFAS gene, which presumably could regulate the expression of BDNF.


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