PMID- 24899094 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20151026 LR - 20211021 IS - 1573-6903 (Electronic) IS - 0364-3190 (Linking) VI - 39 IP - 8 DP - 2014 Aug TI - Neurotrophic factors, clinical features and gender differences in depression. PG - 1571-8 LID - 10.1007/s11064-014-1349-4 [doi] AB - Recent studies have evaluated the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in mood disorders; however, little is known about alterations in nerve growth factor (NGF) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). The aim of this study was to evaluate differences among serum neurotrophic factors (BDNF, NGF and GDNF) in depressed patients and healthy controls and to verify the association between serum neurotrophic levels and clinical characteristics in a young, depressed population stratified by gender. This is a cross-sectional study with depressed patients and population controls 18-29 years of age. The concentrations of neurotrophic factors were determined by the ELISA method. The diagnosis of depression and the duration of the disease were assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview according to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Depression severity was measured with the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and the severity of anxiety symptoms was measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Serum BDNF and GDNF were lower in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients compared to controls (p