PMID- 31197968 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20200313 LR - 20210109 IS - 2162-3279 (Electronic) VI - 9 IP - 7 DP - 2019 Jul TI - Plasma Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and serum cortisol levels in a sample of workers exposed to occupational stress and suffering from Adjustment Disorders. PG - e01298 LID - 10.1002/brb3.1298 [doi] LID - e01298 AB - INTRODUCTION: Decreased plasma BDNF (pBDNF) levels have been proposed as a biomarker in illness phases of mood disorders. Serum cortisol (seC) levels are an index of energy mobilization and stress. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate pBDNF and seC levels in workers exposed to occupational stress and suffering from Adjustment Disorders (AD) compared to healthy workers. METHODS: Plasma BDNF and seC levels were measured by means of specific immunoassays in 64 AD patients and 38 healthy controls. Perceived and occupational stress was evaluated in patients and controls using the Psychological Stress Measure (PSM) and the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). Psychopatological symptoms in patients were assessed using specific rating scales. RESULTS: Plasma BDNF levels resulted significantly higher in patients than in controls, whereas no significant differences were found for seC levels. In patients but not in controls pBDNF levels showed a significant positive correlation with seC levels. Perceived stress levels were positively correlated with all psychopatological rating scales scores. CONCLUSIONS: BDNF could play a key role in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders and its peripheral levels elevation could contribute to protect neurons under stress. Further research is needed focusing on biomarkers for stress-related disorders as a potential tool for the diagnosis and prevention of occupational diseases. CI - (c) 2019 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. FAU - Buselli, Rodolfo AU - Buselli R AD - Occupational Health Department, U.O. Medicina Preventiva del Lavoro, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. FAU - Veltri, Antonello AU - Veltri A AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-0534-6177 AD - Unita Operativa Complessa Psichiatria di Pisa, Dipartimento della Salute Mentale e Dipendenze, Azienda USL Toscana Nord Ovest, Pisa, Italy. AD - Fondazione BRF Onlus-Institute for Research in Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Lucca, Italy. FAU - Baldanzi, Sigrid AU - Baldanzi S AD - Occupational Health Department, U.O. Medicina Preventiva del Lavoro, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. FAU - Marino, Riccardo AU - Marino R AD - Occupational Health Department, U.O. Medicina Preventiva del Lavoro, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. FAU - Bonotti, Alessandra AU - Bonotti A AD - Occupational Health Department, U.O. Medicina Preventiva del Lavoro, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. FAU - Chiumiento, Martina AU - Chiumiento M AD - Occupational Health Department, U.O. Medicina Preventiva del Lavoro, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. FAU - Girardi, Michelle AU - Girardi M AD - Occupational Health Department, U.O. Medicina Preventiva del Lavoro, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. FAU - Pellegrini, Luca AU - Pellegrini L AD - Occupational Health Department, U.O. Medicina Preventiva del Lavoro, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. FAU - Guglielmi, Giovanni AU - Guglielmi G AD - Occupational Health Department, U.O. Medicina Preventiva del Lavoro, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. FAU - Dell'Osso, Liliana AU - Dell'Osso L AD - Section of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. FAU - Cristaudo, Alfonso AU - Cristaudo A AD - Occupational Health Department, U.O. Medicina Preventiva del Lavoro, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. AD - Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. LA - eng PT - Journal Article DEP - 20190614 PL - United States TA - Brain Behav JT - Brain and behavior JID - 101570837 RN - 0 (Biomarkers) RN - 0 (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) RN - WI4X0X7BPJ (Hydrocortisone) SB - IM MH - *Adjustment Disorders/blood/etiology MH - Adult MH - Biomarkers/blood MH - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/*blood MH - Cross-Sectional Studies MH - Female MH - Humans MH - Hydrocortisone/*blood MH - Male MH - Middle Aged MH - Occupational Exposure/adverse effects MH - *Occupational Stress/blood/complications PMC - PMC6625476 OTO - NOTNLM OT - Adjustment Disorders OT - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor OT - cortisol OT - neuroplasticity OT - occupational medicine OT - work-related stress COIS- The authors report no conflicts of interest. EDAT- 2019/06/15 06:00 MHDA- 2020/03/14 06:00 PMCR- 2019/06/14 CRDT- 2019/06/15 06:00 PHST- 2018/11/12 00:00 [received] PHST- 2019/03/05 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2019/04/03 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2019/06/15 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2020/03/14 06:00 [medline] PHST- 2019/06/15 06:00 [entrez] PHST- 2019/06/14 00:00 [pmc-release] AID - BRB31298 [pii] AID - 10.1002/brb3.1298 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Brain Behav. 2019 Jul;9(7):e01298. doi: 10.1002/brb3.1298. Epub 2019 Jun 14.