Brain-derived neurotrophic factor serum levels in heroin-dependent patients after 26weeks of withdrawal

Abstract

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of heroin dependence. BDNF expression is dramatically changed during drug withdrawal, and is associated with drug withdrawal syndrome. This study aimed to explore (1) alterations of BDNF serum levels in heroin-dependent patients after long term abstinence; and (2) the association between BDNF serum levels and protracted withdrawal syndrome.

Method: Fifty-three male heroin-dependent patients and fifty-two gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. We measured BDNF serum levels at baseline and 26 weeks after heroin abstinence. Moreover, protracted withdrawal symptoms, depression and anxiety symptoms were measured by Protracted Withdrawal Symptoms of Heroin-dependent patients (PWSHA), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), respectively.

Result: We found that baseline BDNF serum levels were significantly lower in heroin-dependent patients compared to controls (p<0.01). There was also a significantly difference in BDNF serum levels among heroin-dependent patients at baseline and 26-week follow-up (p<0.01). The BDNF serum levels were not associated with age, BMI, years of education, age of initial use, or duration of use. Of the clinical symptoms measured, the change in BDNF serum levels from baseline to 26-week follow-up was negatively associated with the change in PWSHA scores (r = -0.44, p<0.01, see Table 2 and Figure 2 for details).

Conclusion: The results show that the BDNF serum levels in heroin-dependent patients are lower than those of healthy controls at baseline and increased after 26 weeks of abstinence, although the BDNF serum levels are still lower than those of the healthy controls. A negative correlation between the change in BDNF serum levels and protracted withdrawal symptoms was found but needs to be confirmed in further study. The results revealed that BDNF serum level is worth paying attention to in order to further investigate the possibility of it being a biomarker of treatment outcome for opiate dependence.