Decreased plasma neurotrophin-4/5 levels in bipolar disorder patients in mania

• Main Authors: Izabela G. Barbosa, Isabela B. Morato, Rodrigo B. Huguet, Fabio L. Rocha, Rodrigo Machado-Vieira, Antônio L. Teixeira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Psiquiatria (ABP) 2014-12-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry
• Subjects: Neurotrophin; mania; depression; bipolar disorder; biomarker
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-44462014000500340&lng=en&tlng=en

Objective: To evaluate two poorly explored neurotrophins (NT), NT-3 and NT-4/5, in bipolar disorder (BD). Methods: Forty patients with type I BD (18 in remission and 22 in mania) and 25 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and educational attainment were enrolled in this study. All subjects were assessed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview; the Young Mania Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were used to evaluate severity of symptoms in BD patients. Plasma levels of NT-3 and NT-4/5 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: BD patients in mania presented decreased NT-4/5 plasma levels in comparison with controls (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in NT-3 plasma levels between BD patients and controls. Conclusion: These findings corroborate the view that neurotrophin dysfunction is associated with mood states in patients with BD.