Background
Neurotrophins mediate diverse biological responses, including maintenance and growth
of neurons and synaptic plasticity in adult brain. This study examined whether suicide
brain is associated with changes in the expression of neurotrophins.
Methods
Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin
(NT)-3, NT-4/5, and of cyclophilin and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were measured
by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, whereas protein levels
of neurotrophins were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in prefrontal
cortex (PFC) and hippocampus from 28 suicide victims and 21 control subjects.
Results
In hippocampus of suicide subjects compared with control subjects mRNA levels of NGF
(p < .001), NT-3 (p < .001), and NT-4/5 (p < .001) were decreased, whether or not
they were expressed as a ratio to cyclophilin or NSE. This was accompanied by a decrease
in their respective protein levels (NGF [p < .001], NT-3 [p < .001], and NT-4/5 [p
< .001]). In PFC, however, mRNA (p = .001) and protein (p < .001) levels of NT-4/5
and only protein level of NGF (p < .001) were decreased; NT-3 levels were unchanged.
Conclusions
Given the role of neurotrophins in synaptic plasticity and maintenance of adult neurons,
our findings of altered expression of neurotrophins in postmortem brain of suicide
victims suggest that these molecules might play a vital role in the pathophysiology
of suicide.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 06, 2005
Accepted:
April 12,
2005
Received in revised form:
April 11,
2005
Received:
December 6,
2004
Footnotes
This work was supported by grant RO1MH68777 from the National Institute of Mental Health, a Career Development Award (KO1MH 01836) from the National Institute of Mental Health, and a Young Investigator Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to YD.
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
