Brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) are still poorly understood despite there being several studies which have reported an association between mental disorders and serum levels.In this small study of 137 adolescents, drawn from a community sample, including a group with high levels of anxiety, assessments were carried out using the Screen for Children and Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders. Blood samples were collected and serum BDNF levels were measured. Using a food frequency questionnaire for adolescents n-3 PUFAs were estimated. Correlations were performed to assess the association between n-3 PUFAs intake and BDNF levels.
The study of factors associated with both BDNF levels and mental disorders, such as n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), may help to elucidate the mechanisms mediating the relationship between the two variables. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate whether the intake n-3 PUFAs correlates with serum levels of BDNF.
The conclusions show they were able to detect a correlation between n-3 PUFAs intake and peripheral BDNF levels. The study was limited by its small sample size, and their external validity may be restricted by the oversampling of anxious adolescents, but, their findings may help determine the nature of the association between mental disorders and serum levels of BDNF.
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