Correlation study of BDNF/TrkB/CREB, violence, and cognitive function in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia patients

IntroductionSchizophrenia (SCZ) is a complex mental disorder affecting thought processes, perceptions, and emotional regulation.MethodsThis study investigated the relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), and cAMP response element-binding pr...

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Main Authors: Tiankai Jiang, Zhipeng Li, Tao Yu, Xudong Zhou, Tiantian Jiang, Yuhang Liang, Chen Yu, Min Zhu, Wenyu Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1586613/full
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author Tiankai Jiang
Zhipeng Li
Tao Yu
Xudong Zhou
Tiantian Jiang
Yuhang Liang
Chen Yu
Min Zhu
Wenyu Wu
author_facet Tiankai Jiang
Zhipeng Li
Tao Yu
Xudong Zhou
Tiantian Jiang
Yuhang Liang
Chen Yu
Min Zhu
Wenyu Wu
author_sort Tiankai Jiang
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionSchizophrenia (SCZ) is a complex mental disorder affecting thought processes, perceptions, and emotional regulation.MethodsThis study investigated the relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) expression with violence risk and cognitive function in first-episode, drug-naive SCZ patients. We recruited 62 SCZ patients and 62 healthy controls from the Affiliated Mental Health Center of Kunming Medical University. Sociodemographic data and psychopathological measures were collected. qRT-PCR and Western blotting assessed BDNF, TrkB, and CREB expression. Cognitive function and violence risk were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), History of Violence, Clinical, Risk Assessment Scale (HCR-20), Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST), and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS).ResultsCorrelation and regression analyses explored relationships between signaling factors and clinical measures. SCZ patients exhibited significantly lower BDNF, TrkB, and CREB levels than controls, higher HCR-20 scores, and impaired cognitive performance. BDNF negatively correlated with HCR-20 scores and positively with nonpreservative errors. CREB positively correlated with memory quotient. Multivariate linear regression suggested CREB plays a crucial role in both violent behavior and cognitive function in SCZ patients. Principal component analysis (PCA) combined highly correlated P_score, N_score, and PANSS_total into one principal component PC1, with logistic regression identifying PC1 as an associated factor for violence. A model incorporating BDNF, TrkB, and CREB predicted SCZ with an area under the ROC curve of 0.733.DiscussionOur findings suggest CREB plays a key role in SCZ-related violence and cognition, while BDNF, TrkB, and CREB may serve as predictive markers and potential therapeutic targets.
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spelling doaj-art-5f6a4cb1502042e7b38853225b09ed9c2025-08-20T02:34:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-06-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.15866131586613Correlation study of BDNF/TrkB/CREB, violence, and cognitive function in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia patientsTiankai JiangZhipeng LiTao YuXudong ZhouTiantian JiangYuhang LiangChen YuMin ZhuWenyu WuIntroductionSchizophrenia (SCZ) is a complex mental disorder affecting thought processes, perceptions, and emotional regulation.MethodsThis study investigated the relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) expression with violence risk and cognitive function in first-episode, drug-naive SCZ patients. We recruited 62 SCZ patients and 62 healthy controls from the Affiliated Mental Health Center of Kunming Medical University. Sociodemographic data and psychopathological measures were collected. qRT-PCR and Western blotting assessed BDNF, TrkB, and CREB expression. Cognitive function and violence risk were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), History of Violence, Clinical, Risk Assessment Scale (HCR-20), Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST), and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS).ResultsCorrelation and regression analyses explored relationships between signaling factors and clinical measures. SCZ patients exhibited significantly lower BDNF, TrkB, and CREB levels than controls, higher HCR-20 scores, and impaired cognitive performance. BDNF negatively correlated with HCR-20 scores and positively with nonpreservative errors. CREB positively correlated with memory quotient. Multivariate linear regression suggested CREB plays a crucial role in both violent behavior and cognitive function in SCZ patients. Principal component analysis (PCA) combined highly correlated P_score, N_score, and PANSS_total into one principal component PC1, with logistic regression identifying PC1 as an associated factor for violence. A model incorporating BDNF, TrkB, and CREB predicted SCZ with an area under the ROC curve of 0.733.DiscussionOur findings suggest CREB plays a key role in SCZ-related violence and cognition, while BDNF, TrkB, and CREB may serve as predictive markers and potential therapeutic targets.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1586613/fullschizophreniaBDNFTrkBCREBviolencecognition
spellingShingle Tiankai Jiang
Zhipeng Li
Tao Yu
Xudong Zhou
Tiantian Jiang
Yuhang Liang
Chen Yu
Min Zhu
Wenyu Wu
Correlation study of BDNF/TrkB/CREB, violence, and cognitive function in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia patients
Frontiers in Psychiatry
schizophrenia
BDNF
TrkB
CREB
violence
cognition
title Correlation study of BDNF/TrkB/CREB, violence, and cognitive function in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia patients
title_full Correlation study of BDNF/TrkB/CREB, violence, and cognitive function in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia patients
title_fullStr Correlation study of BDNF/TrkB/CREB, violence, and cognitive function in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia patients
title_full_unstemmed Correlation study of BDNF/TrkB/CREB, violence, and cognitive function in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia patients
title_short Correlation study of BDNF/TrkB/CREB, violence, and cognitive function in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia patients
title_sort correlation study of bdnf trkb creb violence and cognitive function in first episode drug naive schizophrenia patients
topic schizophrenia
BDNF
TrkB
CREB
violence
cognition
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1586613/full
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