Citation

Daniel Silva N, Benjamín Vicente P, Mario Valdivia P. J. Neuroeuropsychiatry (Santiago, Chile) 2015; 53(1): 44-52.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Society of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Chile)

DOI

10.4067/s0717-92272015000100006

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Suicidal behavior, understood as a continuum from ideation to completed suicide, through the suicide attempt, is a major health concern worldwide in both adult and adolescent population. Major depressive disorder is consistently the most prevalent disorder among individuals who commit suicide and one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. The Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) appears to be a molecular substrate of stress, because its expression is reduced in these condition which would be a major risk factor for depression. Furthermore, antidepressant treatment has effects on BDNF levels opposite to those of stress or depression. Postmortem studies have shown that mRNA expression and protein levels of BDNF tended to be significantly reduced in the brains of people who have committed suicide independent of psychiatric disorders, mainly in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Moreover clinical studies have shown a lower presence of serum BDNF in depressed patients who have attempted suicide compared with healthy controls. In order to separate the possible contamination that may exist between depression and suicidal behavior, this article reviews the existing evidence on the levels and the expression of BDNF in depressed populations with and without suicide attempts.

Language: es

Keywords

Depression; Suicide; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor