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. 2023 Jun 24;24(13):10569.
doi: 10.3390/ijms241310569.

BDNF and Cognitive Function in Chilean Schizophrenic Patients

Rodrigo R Nieto  1   2   3   4 , Hernán Silva  1   2 , Alejandra Armijo  5 , Rubén Nachar  5 , Alfonso González  5   6 , Carmen Paz Castañeda  5 , Cristián Montes  1   2 , Manuel Kukuljan  3   4
Affiliations

BDNF and Cognitive Function in Chilean Schizophrenic Patients

Rodrigo R Nieto et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Despite cognitive symptoms being very important in schizophrenia, not every schizophrenic patient has a significant cognitive deficit. The molecular mechanisms underlying the different degrees of cognitive functioning in schizophrenic patients are not sufficiently understood. We studied the relation between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cognitive functioning in two groups of schizophrenic patients with different cognitive statuses. According to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) results, the schizophrenic patients were classified into two subgroups: normal cognition (26 or more) and cognitive deficit (25 or less). We measured their plasma BDNF levels using ELISAs. The statistical analyses were performed using Spearman's Rho and Kruskal-Wallis tests. We found a statistically significant positive correlation between the plasma BDNF levels and MoCA score (p = 0.04) in the subgroup of schizophrenic patients with a cognitive deficit (n = 29). However, this correlation was not observed in the patients with normal cognition (n = 11) and was not observed in the total patient group (n = 40). These results support a significant role for BDNF in the cognitive functioning of schizophrenics with some degree of cognitive deficit, but suggest that BDNF may not be crucial in patients with a normal cognitive status. These findings provide information about the molecular basis underlying cognitive deficits in this illness.

Keywords: BDNF plasma levels; Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); brain-derived neurotrophic factor; cognition; cognition biomarker; cognitive impairment; neurotrophins; schizophrenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Plasma BDNF levels in schizophrenia patients (SZ) and healthy control subjects (HC).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score in schizophrenia patients (SZ) and healthy control subjects (HC).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between plasma BDNF levels and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score in: (A) schizophrenia patients with cognitive deficit according to MoCA (i.e., lower than 26 points), and (B) schizophrenia patients with a normal MoCA score (i.e., 26 or higher).
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