Effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on neurotrophic factors in patients with major depressive disorder

Objective: To correlate neurotrophic factors - brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and beta-nerve growth factor (beta-NGF) - and severity of depressive symptoms in patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) undergoing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, participants were selected by convenience and received 16 sessions of CBT. The outcomes of interest were severity of depressive symptoms and changes in neurotrophic factor levels after CBT. The differences between variables before and after treatment (deltas) were analyzed. Results: Patients had significant changes in symptom severity after treatment. No significant associations were found between Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) scores and any independent variable. No correlations were observed between BDNF or GDNF levels and BDI scores before or after treatment, although there was a trend toward significant differences in beta-NGF levels. Conclusion: BDNF, beta-NGF, and GDNF were not influenced by the effects of CBT on depressive symptoms.

Serum levels of neurotrophic factors in active toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis

Abstract Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis (TR) is the most common identifiable cause of posterior uveitis in Brazil. Response to treatment and clinical presentation may vary significantly. We assessed serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin (NT)-3, and NT-4/5 in patients with active TR, before and after TR treatment. Methods: Twenty patients with active lesion and 15 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Serum concentration of neurotrophic factors was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: BDNF levels were significantly higher in patients before treatment when compared with controls (p = 0.0015). There was no significant difference in pro-BDNF, NGF, GDNF, NT-3, and NT-4/5 levels between TR patients and controls. Treatment did not affect the levels of these factors. Conclusion: BDNF may be released in the context of the active TR inflammatory response.

Neurotrophins: are they meaningful in chronic spontaneous urticaria?

Plasma neurotrophin levels are elevated in patients with allergic and autoimmune diseases. The present study was designed to investigate the serum neurotrophin levels in 42 patients displaying chronic spontaneous urticaria, as well as 22 healthy control subjects. Blood samples were obtained from subjects during their first visit to the clinic, and then again after one month of desloratadine therapy. No significant difference was found between patient and control groups in terms of basal serum neurotrophin levels. However, basal nerve growth factor levels in patients whose symptoms persisted despite treatment were significantly lower than those of the drug-responsive patients and the control group. In treatment-responsive patients, nerve growth factor increased after suppression of the symptoms. Our study suggests that chronic spontaneous urticaria is linked with changes serum nerve growth factor levels, and that the deregulation of neurotrophins may contribute to urticaria pathophysiology.

Nerve growth factor, neuropeptides and cutaneous nerves in atopic dermatitis

Neurogenic components, as neurotrophic factors and neuropeptides, are probably involved in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis [AD] with the neuroimmunocutaneous system as they modify the functions of immunoactive cells in the skin. Nerve growth factor [NGF] is the best-characterized member of the neurotrophin family. Both NGF and neuropepties may be associated with the disease pathogenesis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the plasma level of NGF and NPs in AD patients and to correlate them with the disease activity and with the nerve changes in the skin by electron microscopy. Plasma levels of NGF and vasoactive intestinal peptide [+VIP] were measured by an immunoenzymatic assay while plasma levels of calcitonine gene related peptide [CGRP] and neuropeptide Y [NPY] were measured by radioimmunoassay in 30 AD patients in comparison to 10 normal non-atopic controls. Electron microscopic study was done in 10 AD patients. It has been found that there is significant increase of plasma levels of NGF and NPs in AD patients compared with controls. There is a positive correlation between the plasma levels of NGF and disease activity [correlation coefficient=0.750, P<0.005]. There is a significant correlation of the number of Schwann axon complex, evidenced by electron microscopic examination and plasma level of NGF in AD patients. Neurogenic factors; NGF and NPs modulate the allergic response in AD, probably through interactions with cells of the immune-inflammatory component. NGF might be considered as a marker of the disease activity

NGF and PTH relationship to peripheral nerve function in uremic patients

Nerve growth factor [NGF] parathormone hormone [PTH], and electro physiological study of peripheral nerve have been evaluated in 40 uremic patients with mean age 38.7 +/- 3.6 years, 23 males, 17 females versus 40 normal control subjects with mean age 38.6 +/- 3 years, 25 males and 15 females. NGF was significantly lower in uremic patients than control group [69+32, 48 +/- 12 ng/ml], respectively, p<0.001. Patients of long term chronic renal failure [CRF] have significant lower values of nerve conduction velocities, amplitude of sensory and motor action potential with prolonged distal latency than those of short term one, p<0.001. Dialyzed patients have significant reduced sensory and motornerve functions than non-dialyzed-one, p<0.001. NGF was significantly lower in dialyzed group than non-dialyzed one [44 +/- 19, 97 +/- 17 ng/ml], respectively, p<0.05. NGF showed significant negative [+ve] correlation to PTH values, p<0.01. NGF showed significant-ve correlation to the duration of CRF and dialysis therapy and significant positive [+ve] relation to peripheral nerve functions p<0.01. PTH values exhibited+ve correlation to the duration of CRF and dialysis therapy with-ve significant relation to peripheral nerve functions, p<0.01. NGF in concordance with PTH-seem to have significant role on the degree of peripheral nerve dysfunction among uremic patients