Increase in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels during early withdrawal in severe alcohol users

Introduction: Changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been linked to the neuroadaptative consequences of chronic alcohol use and associated with disease severity and prognosis. Few studies have evaluated the influence of drug withdrawal and clinical and sociodemographic data on BDNF levels in severe alcohol users. Objectives: Our goals were (1) to evaluate variation in BDNF levels during alcohol withdrawal and, (2) to assess the influence of putative confounding factors on BDNF levels. Methods: Our sample consists of 62 men with alcohol use disorder undergoing a detoxification process. Serum BDNF levels were measured using a commercial sandwich-ELISA kit, at two points: before and after the detoxification period. Results: We found an increase in BDNF levels during alcohol withdrawal (25.4 +/- 9.6 at admission vs. 29.8 +/- 10.2 ng/ml at discharge; p < 0.001), even after controlling for potential confounders (positive family history, number of days between blood sample collections, and age) (Generalized Estimating Equation: coefficient = -4.37, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] -6.3; -2.4; p < 0.001). Moreover, individuals who had first-degree relative with alcohol dependence had smaller increases in BDNF levels than individuals with no family history (14.8 [95%CI -5.3; 35.6] vs. 35.3 [95%CI 15.4; 74.8]; p = 0.005). Conclusions: In summary, variation in BDNF levels seems to be influenced by withdrawal in severe alcohol users. A positive family history of alcohol dependence could also be a factor that influences variation in this biomarker.