Open AccessLevels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor in patients with multiple sclerosis
Author(s) -
Naegelin Yvonne,
Saeuberli Katharina,
Schaedelin Sabine,
Dingsdale Hayley,
Magon Stefano,
Baranzini Sergio,
Amann Michael,
Parmar Katrin,
Tsagkas Charidimos,
Calabrese Pasquale,
Penner Iris Katharina,
Kappos Ludwig,
Barde YvesAlain
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
annals of clinical and translational neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.824
H-Index - 42
ISSN - 2328-9503
DOI - 10.1002/acn3.51215
Subject(s) - medicine , multiple sclerosis , brain derived neurotrophic factor , cohort , magnetic resonance imaging , biomarker , neurotrophic factors , neuropsychology , cohort study , oncology , gastroenterology , cognition , immunology , psychiatry , receptor , radiology , biochemistry , chemistry
Objective To determine the levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the serum of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) to evaluate the potential of serum BDNF as a biomarker for MS. Methods Using a recently validated enzyme‐linked immunoassay (ELISA) we measured BDNF in patients with MS (pwMS), diagnosed according to the 2001 McDonald criteria and aged between 18 and 70 years, participating in a long‐term cohort study with annual clinical visits, including blood sampling, neuropsychological testing, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results were compared with an age‐ and sex‐matched cohort of healthy controls (HC). Correlations between BDNF levels and a range of clinical and magnetic resonance imaging variables were assessed using an adjusted linear model. Results In total, 259 pwMS and 259 HC were included, with a mean age of 44.42 ± 11.06 and 44.31 ± 11.26 years respectively. Eleven had a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), 178 relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), 56 secondary progressive MS (SPMS), and 14 primary progressive MS (PPMS). Compared with controls, mean BDNF levels were lower by 8 % (p˂0.001) in pwMS. The level of BDNF in patients with SPMS was lower than in RRMS (p = 0.004). Interpretation We conclude that while the use of comparatively large cohorts enables the detection of a significant difference in BDNF levels between pwMS and HC, the difference is small and unlikely to usefully inform decision‐making processes at an individual patient level.