@article{ref1,
title="Longitudinal changes in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor in accident survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder",
journal="Neuropsychobiology",
year="2013",
author="Matsuoka, Yutaka and Nishi, Daisuke and Noguchi, Hiroko and Kim, Yoshiharu and Hashimoto, Kenji",
volume="68",
number="1",
pages="44-50",
abstract="Background: This prospective cohort study investigated the serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which mediates synaptic plasticity crucial for fear memory extinction, in patients severely injured in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). Method: A nested, case-controlled study was conducted with 103 MVA survivors: 8 medication-naïve patients who met the criteria for full diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 6 months after MVA, 10 medication-naïve patients with partial PTSD and 85 patients with no PTSD. PTSD was evaluated by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Serum BDNF levels were measured shortly after the MVA (baseline) and at 6-month follow-up. Results: Posttrauma serum BDNF levels differed between the 3 groups after controlling for age and sex (F = 3.41, p = 0.04), with unexpectedly higher serum BDNF levels seen in the full-PTSD group compared with the no-PTSD group. Additional analysis of patients with serum samples taken at baseline and at 6 months revealed the full-PTSD group had significantly higher serum BDNF levels over the 6 months than the no-PTSD group after controlling for age and sex (F = 6.44, p < 0.01). A positive correlation was seen between changes in serum BDNF levels over 6 months and the CAPS score at 6 months (r = 0.26, p = 0.014). Conclusions: The findings of this study, the first to report longitudinal serum BDNF levels in MVA survivors, suggest that elevated serum BDNF levels could be a biomarker of PTSD after a traumatic event.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0302-282X",
doi="10.1159/000350950",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000350950"
}