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Do serum GDNF levels correlate with severity of Alzheimer’s disease?

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Abstract

Introduction

A growing body of evidence that glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) levels are probably involved in pathogenesis and disease course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) suggested that its blood levels could potentially be used as a biomarker of AD. The aim of this study was to compare serum GDNF levels in patients with AD and age-matched controls.

Methods

Serum concentrations of GDNF were compared in 25 AD patients and 25 healthy volunteers using a double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Severity of the disease in AD patients was assessed using Functional Assessment Staging (FAST). Cognitive assessment of the patients was done using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Results

Mean GDNF levels were found to be 2.45 ± 0.93 ng/ml in AD patients and 4.61 ± 3.39 ng/ml in age-matched controls. There was a statistically significant difference in GDNF serum levels in patients with AD compared to age-matched controls (p = 0.001). Moreover, GDNF serum levels were significantly correlated with disease severity (p < 0.001) and cognitive impairment (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study showed that serum levels of GDNF are significantly decreased in AD patients in comparison with age-matched controls, thus suggesting a potential role of GDNF as a disease biomarker. However, a comprehensive study of changes in serum levels of multiple neurotrophic factors reflective of different neurobiological pathways in large-scale population studies is recommended.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude to all personnel of Yaadmaan Referral Center for Dementia and Cognitive Disorders, Malard’s Diagnostic Laboratory, and all the patients, who participated in our study. We are under no doubt that this study would not be completed without them. Moreover, the authors wish to thank Dr. Elnaz Roohi for her insightful comments in editing and reviewing of the manuscript. Academic research fund was provided by Tehran Medical Sciences, IAU. It is important to note that Tehran Medical Sciences, IAU, is a non-profit non-governmental organization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, 99 Yakhchal Street, Shariati Avenue, Tehran, 1941933111, Iran

    Maryam Sharif & Farshad Hashemian

  2. Memory and Behavioral Neurology Division, Department of Psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Noroozian

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  1. Maryam Sharif
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Correspondence to Farshad Hashemian.

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Sharif, M., Noroozian, M. & Hashemian, F. Do serum GDNF levels correlate with severity of Alzheimer’s disease?. Neurol Sci 42, 2865–2872 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04909-1

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