PT627. Effect of Antidepressant Treatment on BDNF concentrations in Patients with Somatization Disorders

Objective: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to be involved in the plasticity of neurons and pathophysiology of several psychiatric illnesses. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is an abnormality of plasma BDNF concentrations in patients with somatization disorder, and the alteration after antidepressant treatment. Methods: The 27 patients with somatization disorder (mean age: 46.33 ± 9.73 years, 12 males, 15 females) who fulfilled the DSM-IV criteria for somatization disorder and 27 healthy controls (mean age: 46.81 ± 6.81 years, 12 males, 15 females) were enrolled in the study. The clinical assessment of the somatization disorder was measured by Korean version of Wahler physical symptom inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. BDNF was assayed using the DuoSet ELISA Development System (R&D Systems. DY248). The difference in the plasma BDNF levels between patients and healthy controls was analyzed using non-parametric MannWhitney test by the SPSS 15.0 (p<0.05). Moreover, we assessed the alteration of plasma BDNF concentrations after treatment using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test. 22 among 27 patients with somatization disorder took the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for 9 to 16 weeks. And the correlations between the BDNF level and the clinical assessment scale scores were examined using Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: The mean plasma BDNF levels of 27 patients with somatization disorder were significantly lower compared with those of controls (83.61 ± 89.97 pg/ml vs. 771.36 ± 562.14 pg/ ml, Z=-5.735, p<0.001). In 22 patients after the antidepressant treatment, the plasma BDNF concentrations were significantly increased (118.13 ± 91.45 pg/ml vs. 72.92 ± 88.21 pg/ml, Z=-2.029, p=0.042). However, clinical assessment scales did not reveal any significant correlations with BDNF levels. Conclusions: These results suggest that BDNF may play a role in the pathophysiology of somatization disorder. Index Words: BDNF, Neurotrophin, Somatization disorder