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Reduced platelet BDNF level in patients with major depression

Bun-Hee Lee1, Yong-Ku Kim

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Republic of Korea.

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry
|April 18, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Platelet brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels are significantly lower in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This finding suggests reduced platelet BDNF may be linked to lower serum BDNF in depression.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Decreased serum, plasma, and brain brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels are observed in major depressive disorder (MDD).
  • Platelets store significant amounts of BDNF, acting as a circulating reservoir.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether platelet BDNF levels are reduced in patients with MDD compared to healthy controls.
  • To explore potential differences in platelet BDNF between non-suicidal and recent-suicidal MDD patients.

Main Methods:

  • BDNF levels were measured in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) from 20 non-suicidal MDD patients, 20 recent-suicidal MDD patients, and 20 healthy controls.
  • Platelet BDNF content was calculated and standardized per million platelets.
  • Participants were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.

Main Results:

  • Platelet BDNF content was significantly lower in both non-suicidal (3.09±2.53 pg/10^6 platelets) and recent-suicidal (3.16±1.99 pg/10^6 platelets) MDD patients compared to healthy controls (6.17±2.64 pg/10^6 platelets) (p<0.01).
  • No significant difference in platelet BDNF content was found between non-suicidal and recent-suicidal MDD groups.
  • PRP BDNF levels were lower in MDD patients than controls (p=0.029), while PPP BDNF levels showed no significant difference between groups (p=0.971).

Conclusions:

  • Platelet BDNF content is significantly reduced in patients with major depressive disorder.
  • Reduced platelet BDNF may contribute to lower circulating BDNF levels observed in MDD.
  • Platelet BDNF serves as a potential biomarker for major depressive disorder.

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