Liu Lewei, Hao Mingru, Yu Haiyun, Tian Yinghan, Yang Cheng, Fan Haojie, Zhao Xin, Geng Feng, Mo Daming, Xia Lei, Liu Huanzhong
Department of Psychiatry, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 64 Chaohu North Road, Hefei, 238000, Anhui Province, China.
Anhui Psychiatric Center, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2025 Feb 25. doi: 10.1007/s00406-025-01984-3.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is crucial for the growth, differentiation and maintenance of neuronal systems, which is closely associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). The objective of this study was to investigate the BDNF levels and their associations with psychopathology and lipid metabolism parameters in adolescents with MDD. From January to December 2021, the study included 141 adolescents with MDD and 90 healthy controls (HCs). The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Insomnia Severity Index Scale (ISI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the Positive and Negative Suicidal Ideation Scale (PANSI) were used to assess depressive symptoms, insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and suicidal ideation, respectively. BDNF levels and lipid metabolism parameters were also measured. Compared to HCs, adolescents with MDD had significantly lower BDNF levels (p < 0.001). In patients, BDNF levels were positively correlated with age, BMI, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C); and negatively correlated with the scores of CES-D and ISI (all p < 0.05). The results of the multivariate linear regression analyses indicated that BDNF levels were positively associated with age (β = 0.198, t = 2.447, p = 0.016), first-episode MDD (β = 0.176, t = 2.234, p = 0.027) and TC level (β = 0.240, t = 3.048, p = 0.003), and negatively associated with the scores of ESS (β = -0.171, t = -2.203, p = 0.029) and ISI (β = -0.231, t = -2.996, p = 0.003). Of note, the associations between BDNF and psychopathology were observed only in female and first-episode patients. BDNF levels were decreased in adolescents with MDD. Patients with low BDNF levels were in a more severe psychiatric state and had changes in lipid metabolism parameters. This study provided preliminary evidence that BDNF may play a role in the onset and progression of MDD.
脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）对于神经元系统的生长、分化和维持至关重要，它与重度抑郁症（MDD）密切相关。本研究的目的是调查MDD青少年的BDNF水平及其与精神病理学和脂质代谢参数的关联。2021年1月至12月，该研究纳入了141名MDD青少年和90名健康对照者（HCs）。分别使用流行病学研究中心抑郁量表（CES-D）、失眠严重程度指数量表（ISI）、爱泼华嗜睡量表（ESS）和正负性自杀意念量表（PANSI）来评估抑郁症状、失眠、日间过度嗜睡和自杀意念。还测量了BDNF水平和脂质代谢参数。与HCs相比，MDD青少年的BDNF水平显著更低（p < 0.001）。在患者中，BDNF水平与年龄、体重指数（BMI）、总胆固醇（TC）、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（HDL-C）和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL-C）呈正相关；与CES-D和ISI评分呈负相关（所有p < 0.05）。多元线性回归分析结果表明，BDNF水平与年龄（β = 0.198，t = 2.447，p = 0.016）、首发MDD（β = 0.176，t = 2.234，p = 0.027）和TC水平（β = 0.240，t = 3.048，p = 0.003）呈正相关，与ESS评分（β = -0.171，t = -2.203，p = 0.029）和ISI评分（β = -0.231，t = -2.996，p = 0.003）呈负相关。值得注意的是，仅在女性和首发患者中观察到BDNF与精神病理学之间的关联。MDD青少年的BDNF水平降低。BDNF水平低的患者精神状态更严重，且脂质代谢参数有变化。本研究提供了初步证据表明BDNF可能在MDD的发病和进展中起作用。
