Background: Data suggests that brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) plays a neuroadaptive role in addiction. Whether serum BDNF levels are different in alcohol or psychostimulants as a function of craving is unknown. Here, we examined craving and serum BDNF levels in persons with alcohol versus psychostimulant dependence. Our goals were to explore BDNF as an objective biomarker for 1) craving 2) abstinence, and 3) years of chronic substance use.
Methods: An exploratory, cross-sectional study was designed. Men and women between 20-65 years old with alcohol, cocaine, or methamphetamine dependence were eligible. A craving questionnaire was used to measure alcohol, cocaine and methamphetamine cravings. Serum levels of BDNF were measured using enzyme linked immunoassay. Analysis of variance, chi-square, and correlations were performed using a 95% confidence interval and a significance level of P < 0.05.
Results: We found a significant difference in the mean craving score among alcohol, cocaine and methamphetamine dependent subjects. There were no significant influences of race, gender, psychiatric disorder or psychotropic medication on serum BDNF levels. We found that among psychostimulant users BDNF levels were significantly higher in men than in women when the number of abstinent days was statistically controlled. Further, a significant correlation between serum BDNF levels and the number of abstinent days since last psychostimulant use was found.
Conclusion: These data suggest that BDNF may be a biomarker of abstinence in psychostimulant dependent subjects and inform clinicians about treatment initiatives. The results are interpreted with caution due to small sample size and lack of a control group.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3140291 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S18953 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Effect of electroacupuncture on vascular remodeling in rats with cerebral ischemia by regulating irisin based on VEGF/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.
Brain Res Bull
January 2025
School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address:
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated how electroacupuncture (EA) affects irisin secretion and its role in recovering brain function and blood vessel health after a stroke in rats.
- The research showed that EA increased irisin levels significantly after seven days and improved neurobehavioral function while reducing brain damage and enhancing blood flow and vascular growth.
- These beneficial effects of EA were weakened when the gene responsible for irisin production was silenced, suggesting that irisin plays a critical role in EA’s therapeutic effects on brain recovery.
Lipopolysaccharide preconditioning disrupts the behavioral and molecular response to restraint stress in male mice.
Neuroscience
January 2025
Center of Health Sciences, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; Center of Health Sciences, Postgraduate Program in Pharmacology, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. Electronic address:
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder potentially influenced by factors such as stress and inflammation. Chronic stress can lead to maladaptive brain changes that may trigger immune hyperactivation, contributing to MDD's pathogenesis. While the involvement of inflammation in MDD is well established, the effects of inflammatory preconditioning in animals subsequently exposed to chronic stress remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPetals Ameliorate Depressive-like Symptom and Cognitive Deficit in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Mouse Model.
Nutrients
December 2024
Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
Chronic stress exposure has been widely recognized as a significant contributor to numerous central nervous system (CNS) disorders, leading to debilitating behavioral changes such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairments. The prolonged activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis during chronic stress disrupts the neuroendocrine balance and has detrimental effects on neuronal function and survival. () Gaertn.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFL. Oligo-Polysaccharides (CIO) Exerts Antianxiety and Antidepressant Effects on Mice Experiencing Behavioral Despair and Chronic Unpredicted Mild Stress.
Foods
January 2025
Research Center for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (IMPLAD), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China.
L. oligo-polysaccharides (CIOs), obtained from L., is a mixture of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProBDNF as a Myokine in Skeletal Muscle Injury: Role in Inflammation and Potential for Therapeutic Modulation of p75.
Int J Mol Sci
January 2025
Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA.
Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) is expressed by skeletal muscle as a myokine. Our previous work showed that the active precursor, proBDNF, is the predominant form of BDNF expressed in skeletal muscle, and that following skeletal muscle injury, proBDNF levels are significantly increased. However, the function of the muscle-derived proBDNF in injury-induced inflammation has yet to be fully understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!