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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and early-life stress: Multifaceted interplay

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Abstract

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key regulator of neural development and plasticity. Long-term changes in the BDNF pathway are associated with childhood adversity and adult depression symptoms. Initially, stress-induced decreases in the BDNF pathway were found in some studies, but subsequent reports indicated the relationship between stress and BDNF to be much more complex, and the concept was significantly revised. In the present mini-review, we focus on the structure and regulation of the Bbnf gene as well as on the stress–BDNF interactions under early-life adverse conditions.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (# 16-15-10131). We thank Dr Irina Brusentsova for critical reading of the manuscript and helpful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Gene Expression Regulation, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia

    Natalya P Bondar & Tatiana I Merkulova

  2. Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia

    Tatiana I Merkulova

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  1. Natalya P Bondar
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  2. Tatiana I Merkulova
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Correspondence to Natalya P Bondar.

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Corresponding editor: NEERAJ JAIN

[Bondar NP and Merkulova TI 2016 Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and early-life stress: Multifaceted interplay. J. Biosci.]

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Bondar, N.P., Merkulova, T.I. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and early-life stress: Multifaceted interplay. J Biosci 41, 751–758 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-016-9648-3

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