Citation

Matsuoka Y, Nishi D, Noguchi H, Kim Y, Hashimoto K. Neuropsychobiology 2013; 68(1): 44-50.

Affiliation

Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Translational Medical Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Karger Publishers)

DOI

10.1159/000350950

PMID

23774996

Abstract

Background: This prospective cohort study investigated the serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which mediates synaptic plasticity crucial for fear memory extinction, in patients severely injured in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). Method: A nested, case-controlled study was conducted with 103 MVA survivors: 8 medication-naïve patients who met the criteria for full diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 6 months after MVA, 10 medication-naïve patients with partial PTSD and 85 patients with no PTSD. PTSD was evaluated by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Serum BDNF levels were measured shortly after the MVA (baseline) and at 6-month follow-up. Results: Posttrauma serum BDNF levels differed between the 3 groups after controlling for age and sex (F = 3.41, p = 0.04), with unexpectedly higher serum BDNF levels seen in the full-PTSD group compared with the no-PTSD group. Additional analysis of patients with serum samples taken at baseline and at 6 months revealed the full-PTSD group had significantly higher serum BDNF levels over the 6 months than the no-PTSD group after controlling for age and sex (F = 6.44, p < 0.01). A positive correlation was seen between changes in serum BDNF levels over 6 months and the CAPS score at 6 months (r = 0.26, p = 0.014). Conclusions: The findings of this study, the first to report longitudinal serum BDNF levels in MVA survivors, suggest that elevated serum BDNF levels could be a biomarker of PTSD after a traumatic event.

Language: en