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Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on March 7, 2008
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2008 43(3):241-245; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agm172
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Medical Council on Alcohol. All rights reserved

Alterations of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in early alcohol withdrawal

Ming-Chyi Huang1,2,5, Chun-Hsin Chen2,3, Chia-Hui Chen4, Shing-Cheng Liu1,2, Chia-Jen Ho1, Winston W Shen2,3* and Sy-Jye Leu5,*

1 Department of Psychiatry, Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
2 Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
3 Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
4 Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Research, National Health Research Institute, Taiwan
5 Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

* Author to whom correspondence should be addresses: Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. Tel: +886 2 27361661 ext 3414; Fax: +886 2 23778620; E-mail: cmbsycl{at}tmu.edu.tw

Received 2 August 2007; first review notified 9 October 2007; in revised form 5 October 2007; accepted 16 November 2007


  Abstract

Aims: Alcohol withdrawal-enhanced neurotoxicity contributes to the addictive process. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in neuronal plasticity and learning. In this study, we explored the changes of serum BDNF levels in alcoholic patients at baseline and after one-week alcohol withdrawal. Methods: Twenty-five alcoholic patients were admitted for alcohol detoxification treatment, and 22 healthy control subjects were also enrolled. We collected blood samples of the patient group on the first and seventh day of alcohol withdrawal, and measured serum BDNF level with sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The severity of withdrawal symptoms was evaluated by the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment-Alcohol, Revised every eight hours. Results: Serum BDNF levels did not differ significantly between alcoholic patients and control subjects. But BDNF levels were found to be significantly increased one week after alcohol withdrawal (from 13.9 ± 3.8 ng/ml to 15.4 ± 3.8 ng/ml, P = 0.03). A significant positive correlation was found between baseline BDNF level and baseline withdrawal severity (r = 0.45, P = 0.03). Conclusions: The present study suggests that elevated serum BDNF levels were found in early alcohol withdrawal, implying that BDNF may involve in neuroadaptation during the period.

* Winston W. Shen as the co-corresponding author for equivalent contribution to the article.


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