The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) inhibits food intake, and rodent models of BDNF disruption all exhibit increased food intake and obesity, as well as hyperactivity. We report an 8-year-old girl with hyperphagia and severe obesity, impaired cognitive function, and hyperactivity who harbored a de novo chromosomal inversion, 46,XX,inv(11)(p13p15.3), a region encompassing t...

Consistent data coming from biochemical studies have evidenced a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) serum reduction in depressed patients compared to controls and a restoration following antidepressant treatment. However, to date, no study has evaluated whether BDNF synthesis in leukocytes could contribute to such modulation. Therefore, in this study, we analysed BDNF mRNA levels in leuko...

Autocrine trophic functions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been proposed for many central neurons because this neurotrophin displays striking colocalization with its receptor trkB within the CNS. In the cortex, the distribution patterns of BDNF and trkB expression are almost identical. Corticospinal neurons (CSNs) are a major cortical long-distance projecting system. They are ...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has an important role in regulating maintenance, growth and survival of neurons. However, the main source of circulating BDNF in response to exercise is unknown. To identify whether the brain is a source of BDNF during exercise, eight volunteers rowed for 4 h while simultaneous blood samples were obtained from the radial artery and the internal jugular v...

OBJECTIVE To test whether the BDNF gene interacts with exercise to predict depressive symptoms. Physical activity is associated with a range of positive health outcomes, including fewer depressive symptoms. One plausible mechanism underlying these findings involves Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a protein hypothesized to limit or repair the damage caused by stress. Physical activity ...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a major orchestrator of exercise-induced brain plasticity and circulating (peripheral) BDNF may have central effects. Approximately 99% of circulating BDNF is platelet-bound, and at rest ~30% of circulating platelets are stored in the spleen. Interestingly, forearm handgrip exercise significantly elevates sympathetic outflow and has been shown to indu...

The mechanism that controls the selective vulnerability of striatal neurons in Huntington's disease is unclear. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protects striatal neurons and is regulated by Huntingtin through the interaction with the neuron-restrictive silencer factor. Here, we demonstrate that the downregulation of BDNF by mutant Huntingtin depends on the length and levels of expressi...