Serum Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in post-stroke depression

Background: Depression is a frequent mood disorder that affects around a third of stroke patients and has been associated with poorer outcome. Our aim was to determine whether there is a relationship between serum Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and post-stroke depression (PSD). Methods: Two hundred and sixteen ischemic stroke patients admitted to the hospital within the First 24 h after stroke onset were consecutively recruited and followed up for 3 months. Based on the symptoms, diagnoses of depression were made in accordance with D5M-IV criteria for post-stroke depression at clay 90. Enzyme-linked immunosorbera assay (EUSA) was used to measure serum levels of BONE at admission. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression models. Results: In our study, 59 patients (27.3%) were diagnosed as having major depression at 3 months. Patients with major depression showed lower levels of serum BONE 18.1 (5.6-9.4) vs. 13.7 (10.4-16.5)ng/ ml, P 0.00011 at admission. In multivariate analyses, serum BONE was an independent predictor of P50 at 3 months [odds ratio (OR): 0.79(0.72-0.87), P=0.0031. Serum levels of BDNF 10.2 ng/ml were independently associated with post-stroke (OR, 11.5; 95% Cl, P< 0.0001), after adjustment for possible variables. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates a strong relationship between serum BDNF levels at admission and the development of PSD within 3 months. Further studies are necessary to confirm this association, which may open the way to the proposal of new therapeutic options. (C) 2014 Elsevier By. All rights reserved,