SERUM BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR, SERUM LIPIDS AND COGNITION IN THAI PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER DISEASE
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), Serum lipids, Thai mini mental state examination, Cognitive functionAbstract
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a key protein molecule that promotes neuronal differentiation, stimulates neurite outgrowth, and modulates brain plasticity. BDNF is involved in learning and memory, so changes in its level may play a crucial role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Since lipids are major structural components of neuronal cell membrane, dyslipidemia may affect neuronal functions that somewhat relate to AD. This study aimed to investigate the levels of serum BDNF protein, serum lipids and the cognitive function of Thai AD patients comparing to the healthy controls, and to search for the corelations between BDNF and other studying parameters. Thirty control and ten AD subjects
with mean ages of 61.20±2.04 years, and 79.73±2.17 years, respectively, were participated in the study. The criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V, 2013) was used for AD diagnosis with Thai Mini-Mental State Examination (TMMSE) as a tool to assess cognitive functions. The levels of serum BDNF were analyzed using ELISA kit, while serum lipids were determined by colorimetric and homogeneous methods. The comparison of parameters between the patients and the control groups were statistically assessed by Mann-Whitney U test, whereas the correlations between serum BDNF levels and other parameters were assessed by Pearson’s test using the SPSS software (version 23.0). The results of mean TMMSE scores demonstrated that the AD patients had significantly poorer cognitive function than the control subjects (p<0.001). The serum BDNF level in the AD patients (293.77±44.71 µg/mL) was lower than that of the control subjects (354.89±26.71 µg/mL) without statistically significant difference. The serum lipid levels in the AD patient were not significantly different from those in the control group, probably affected by the patients’ taking of a lipid-lowering medicine. No significant correlation was observed between serum BDNF and lipid levels as well as between serum BDNF and TMMSE scores. In summary, our findings confirmed the benefit of TMMSE scores in diagnosis of AD, and suggested a decrease in serum BDNF level in the AD patients although insignificant difference was found. Further study, however, in a large number of patients are required to confirm whether BDNF is suitable as a biomarker for AD.
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