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Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations in pregnant women with post-traumatic stress disorder and comorbid depression

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Abstract

There is accumulating evidence for the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathophysiology of depression. However, the role of BDNF in the pathophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains controversial, and no study has assessed BDNF concentrations among pregnant women with PTSD. We examined early-pregnancy BDNF concentrations among women with PTSD with and without depression. A total of 2928 women attending prenatal care clinics in Lima, Peru, were recruited. Antepartum PTSD and depression were evaluated using PTSD Checklist—Civilian Version (PCL-C) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scales, respectively. BDNF concentrations were measured in a subset of the cohort (N = 944) using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Logistic regression procedures were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI). Antepartum PTSD (37.4 %) and depression (27.6 %) were prevalent in this cohort of low-income pregnant Peruvian women. Approximately 19.9 % of participants had comorbid PTSD-depression. Median serum BDNF concentrations were lower among women with comorbid PTSD-depression as compared with women without either condition (median [interquartile range], 20.44 [16.97–24.30] vs. 21.35 [17.33–26.01] ng/ml; P = 0.06). Compared to the referent group (those without PTSD and depression), women with comorbid PTSD-depression were 1.52-fold more likely to have low (<25.38 ng/ml) BDNF concentrations (OR = 1.52; 95 % CI 1.00–2.31). We observed no evidence of reduced BDNF concentrations among women with isolated PTSD. BDNF concentrations in early pregnancy were only minimally and non-significantly reduced among women with antepartum PTSD. Reductions in BDNF concentrations were more pronounced among women with comorbid PTSD-depression.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by an award from the National Institutes of Health (R01-HD-059835). The NIH had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication. Dr. Na Yang was supported by China Scholarship Council. The authors wish to thank the dedicated staff members of Asociacion Civil Proyectos en Salud (PROESA), Peru and Instituto Materno Perinatal, Peru for their expert technical assistance with this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, K505F, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Na Yang, Bizu Gelaye, Qiuyue Zhong & Michelle A. Williams

  2. Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Na Yang

  3. Department of Medicine, Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University, Lima, Peru

    Marta B. Rondon

  4. Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru

    Sixto E. Sanchez

  5. Asociación Civil PROESA, Lima, Peru

    Sixto E. Sanchez

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  1. Na Yang
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  2. Bizu Gelaye
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Correspondence to Bizu Gelaye.

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All participants provided written informed consent. The institutional review boards of the INMP, Lima, Peru, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Office of Human Research Administration, Boston, MA, USA, approved all procedures used in this study.

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Yang, N., Gelaye, B., Zhong, Q. et al. Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations in pregnant women with post-traumatic stress disorder and comorbid depression. Arch Womens Ment Health 19, 979–986 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0638-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0638-0

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