Sarkar Siddharth, Jain Raka, Kethawath Shanti M, Gupta Rishi, Kumar Mukesh
National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 110029, India.
National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 110029, India.
Neurosci Lett. 2018 Aug 10;681:100-104. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.05.048. Epub 2018 May 31.
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a neuropeptide important for neural growth and differentiation has been explored in patients with opioid dependence. We aimed to compare the serum BDNF levels in patients with opioid dependence with age and gender matched controls, and to assess change in BDNF levels during initial withdrawal period.
Thirty cases with a diagnosis of opioid dependence were compared to forty healthy controls. BDNF levels were measured at inclusion for all participants. Additionally, BDNF levels were measured in patients with opioid dependence after 10 days of inpatient detoxification.
There were no group differences in BDNF levels between cases and controls for day 1 BDNF levels. Also, there was no significant difference observed in the BDNF levels in patients at day 1 and 10 of inpatient detoxification. BDNF levels did not correlate with severity of nicotine dependence, age of the cases or duration of opioid dependence.
The results from the study provide further insights into the relationship of BDNF levels and opioid dependence.
