Do levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in plasma correlate with psychopathology in healthy subjects?

In humans, it is widely accepted that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) participates in the psychophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Yet the relationship between BDNF levels and psychopathological traits in the general population has not been examined. To test whether BDNF blood levels are associated with the modulation of psychopathological traits in healthy subjects, we assessed the correlation between BDNF serum and plasma levels measured at 9 am and psychometric parameters using the symptom checklist 90 revised (SCL-90R) and temperament and character inventory (TCI). One hundred ten volunteers (67 male, 43 female, age: 35.5 ± 8.3 (19–55)) were recruited for this study by advertisement in the Ulsan University Hospital. Among the SCL-90R scores, we found negative relationships between the natural log of BDNF plasma levels at 9 am and the SCL-90R scores for somatization, obsessive–compulsiveness, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, paranoid ideation, global severity index, and positive symptom total (p < 0.05). However, TCI scores had no relationship with BDNF levels. It would be premature to conclude that low plasma BDNF level is associated with these psychopathological traits until the results are replicated with a larger sample.

► We examined the relationship between BDNF levels and psychopathological traits.
► We found negative relationships between BDNF plasma levels and some traits.
► However, temperament and character had no relationship with BDNF levels.