Association between serum levels of glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor and attention deficits in schizophrenia

• GDNF serum levels did not differ between schizophrenia patients and controls.
• Higher GDNF serum levels were associated with better working memory in controls.
• Higher GDNF serum levels were associated with severe attention deficits in patients.

Several lines of evidence suggest that glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we investigated the association between GDNF serum levels and the clinical status of medicated patients with schizophrenia. Sixty-three medicated patients with schizophrenia and 52 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. Patients were evaluated using the brief psychiatry rating scale, the scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS) and neuropsychological tests. Serum levels of GDNF were determined using an ELISA method. Serum levels of GDNF did not differ between schizophrenia patients and controls. Higher GDNF serum levels were associated with better performances on the Digit Span in healthy controls but not in schizophrenics. At the same time, higher GDNF serum levels were associated with severe attention deficits on the SANS subscale, in schizophrenics. Our preliminary study suggests that serum levels of GDNF may be an unsuitable biomarker for schizophrenia, although it may be associated with working memory in healthy controls and the pathophysiology of attention deficits in schizophrenia.