Reduced Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Patients with First Onset Vitiligo

December 2014 in “ Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment ”

Mehmet Emin Yanik, Gamze Erfan, Yakup Albayrak, Murat Aydin, Mustafa Kulaç, Murat Kuloglu

brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF vitiligo

Studysummary This study found that patients with vitiligo had significantly lower serum BDNF levels compared to healthy controls, which may relate to the condition's etiology or its association with psychiatric disorders.

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In the 2014 study, researchers found that serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were significantly lower in 57 patients with first onset vitiligo (1.57±0.97 ng/dL) compared to 58 age and sex-matched healthy subjects (2.37±1.73 ng/dL). The study suggested that the reduced BDNF levels might be related to the etiology of vitiligo or a biological predisposition to psychiatric disorders in the vitiligo patient population. This was the first study to compare serum BDNF levels between these two groups, indicating the need for further research to confirm these preliminary findings.

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