engleski

The Role of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in Cognition and Treatment Response

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of neurotrophin´s superfamily and one of the key molecules modulating brain plasticity via regulation of neuronal growth, function and survival. It is expressed in most brain regions including cortical areas and hippocampus, crucial for cognitive functions such as learning and memory. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that BDNF impacts the function of dopaminergic, glutamatergic and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems. However, BDNF has a role in weight gain, metabolic syndrome and eating disorders. Lower brain and circulating BDNF levels have been found in various neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, which have been linked with cognitive impairments such as deficits in learning, memory, attention, executive functioning and cognitive processing speed. A common polymorphism (Val66Met) in the BDNF gene differentially impacts BDNF availability, neuronal survival and morphology, as well as cognitive functions in humans. Namely, the Val/Met variant has been associated with impaired episodic memory and other measures of human cognition, along with reduced hippocampal activation. This SNP also seems to be related to a range of psychiatric disorders including anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, addictions and altered brain morphology. Many lines of evidence have suggested the therapeutic potential of BDNF in various CNS disorders, such as mood disorders and schizophrenia. Different studies have reported that BDNF levels have normalized after treatments with mood stabilizers, antidepressants and antipsychotics, although the exact mechanism is still not clear. These findings have proposed BDNF not only as potential biomarker to aid in diagnosis and monitoring of illness progression, but also for following the treatment response.

BDNF, Val66Met gene polymorphism, BMI, Alcohol Dependence, Schizophrenia, treatment response

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