TITLE:
Serum Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in a Japanese Population
AUTHORS:
Takeyuki Akimoto, Chihiro Sutoh, Masaru Kuno, Daisuke Matsuzawa, Tomihisa Niitsu, Masaomi Iyo, Eiji Shimizu
KEYWORDS:
Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), ELISA, Depression
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.11 No.1,
January
25,
2021
ABSTRACT: A role of lower brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) content in the pathogenesis of several mental illnesses has been suggested, especially in major depression. It is not known whether BDNF is involved in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Herein, we assessed the serum BDNF content and its correlation with symptom severity in a Japanese population with OCD. The serum BDNF levels of OCD patients (n = 39) and healthy controls (n = 37) were measured by ELISA. The severity of OCD symptoms was assessed by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The OCD patients’ BDNF levels were significantly higher than those of the controls (17.5 ± 7.3 vs. 12.7 ± 4.7) (p