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Cited by 600Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesNerve injury and regenerationTreatment of Major Depression

Neurotrophin levels in postmortem brains of suicide victims and the effects of antemortem diagnosis and psychotropic drugs

Karege, Félicien, Vaudan, Geneviève, Schwald, Michèle, Perroud, Nader, La Harpe, Romano·2005·Molecular Brain Research
DOI 10.1016/j.molbrainres.2004.12.020
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Abstract

Suicide is a major public health problem but the neurobiological factors of risk are poorly understood. Recent studies have mentioned changes in the serotoninergic system and in neuronal plasticity, as well. The present investigation was undertaken to examine whether there is an abnormality in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) proteins in suicide victims. The effect of diagnosis and drug treatments on the neurotrophins was also assessed. Thirty suicide victims (11 F/19 M) and twenty-four (10 F/14 M) drug-free non-suicide subjects, devoid of psychiatric or neurological disease, were examined. Antemortem diagnoses and toxicological analyses had been performed. The ventral prefrontal cortex (PFC), the hippocampus, and the entorhinal cortex were selected. BDNF and NT-3 levels were assayed either with the Western blot or with the ELISA method. Results indicated a significant decrease in BDNF and NT-3 levels in the hippocampus and PFC (only BDNF) but not in the entorhinal cortex, of suicide victims who were drug-free compared with non-suicide controls. The decrease was observed in all suicide victims, regardless of diagnosis. In drug-treated suicide victims, neurotrophin levels were not significantly different from non-suicide controls. This study supports a role of BDNF and NT-3 neurotrophin, in the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior. Anatomically, this role may implicate the hippocampus and the PFC but not the entorhinal cortex. The absence of change in BDNF and NT-3 levels of drug-treated suicide victims suggests that both neurotrophins are mediators of psychotropic drugs. A better understanding of the neurobiology of suicide could help detect populations at risk.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.molbrainres.2004.12.020

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  • Postmortem PFC of human subjects with Major Depressive Disorder has reduced levels of BDNF, elevated levels of REDD1, and decreased levels of mTOR.

    “postmortem PFC of human subjects with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), similar to stressed rodents, have reduced levels of BDNF,168–173 elevated levels of REDD1,92 and decreased levels of mTOR.92,169”

    From Chronic Stress Weakens Connectivity in the Prefrontal Cortex: Architectural and Molecular Changes. (2021) · cites this paper as [171]

  • Expression of BDNF and BDNF receptor tyrosine kinase B genes is lower in suicide decedents, and plasma BDNF levels are low in suicide attempters.

    “Expression of BDNF and BDNF receptor tyrosine kinase B genes is lower in suicide decedents (179-181), and plasma BDNF levels are low in suicide attempters (182), perhaps reflecting a systemic genomic effect on BDNF expression.”

    From A brain-centric model of suicidal behavior (2020) · cites this paper as [179]

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Authors
Karege, F., Vaudan, G., Schwald, M., Perroud, N., & La Harpe, R.
Affiliations
University Hospital of Geneva (CH)
Corresponding author
Karege, Félicien
ORCID
Perroud, Nader
Venue
Molecular Brain Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2005-05
Volume
136
Issue
1-2
Pages
29-37
ISSN
0169-328X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.molbrainres.2004.12.020
OpenAlex
W2023501491
Cited by
600
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 44 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 50
FWCI
25.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Molecular Brain Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Nerve injury and regeneration
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
Keywords
suicide, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3, neurotrophins, ventral prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, psychotropic drugs, antemortem diagnosis, postmortem brain, serotonergic system, neuroplasticity, neurobiology of suicide
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Analysis of Variance, Mental Disorders, Brain, Depression, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Postmortem Changes, Psychotropic Drugs, Regression Analysis, Suicide, Blotting, Western, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Neurotrophin 3

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