Correlation of plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor and metabolic profiles in drug-naïve patients with bipolar II disorder after a twelve-week pharmacological intervention

Objective: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) and metabolic syndrome. We investigated the correlation between plasma BDNF with mood symptoms and metabolic indices in patients with BD-II over a 12-week pharmacological intervention. Method: Drug-naïve patients with BD-II (n = 117) were recruited. Metabolic profiles [cholesterol, triglyceride, HbA1C, fasting serum glucose, body mass index (BMI)] and plasma BDNF wtrun tblautotrun tblsctrun tbl_contere measured at baseline and 2, 8, and 12 weeks after beginning medication. To adjust within-subject dependence over repeated assessments, multiple linear regressions with generalized estimating equation methods were used. Results: Seventy-six (65.0%) patients completed the intervention. Plasma BDNF levels were significantly associated with BMI (P = 9.6E-5), low-density lipoprotein (P = 0.034) and total (P = 0.001) cholesterol, but not with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 and Young Mania Rating Scale scores over the 12-week treatment. Conclusion: We found initial evidence of a positive correlation between plasma BDNF levels and BMI, low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol in drug-naïve patients with BD-II. The specific function of BDNF in regulating and maintaining peripheral metabolic health requires additional investigation.