Page 28 - JCBP-3-1

Journal of Clinical and

Basic Psychosomatics

REVIEW ARTICLE
The molecular basis of psychotherapy: Focus on

BDNF in talking therapies

Zhi Xu 1 , Yihan Yao , and Gavin P. Reynolds *
2,3
1
1 Department of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Jiangsu
Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
2 Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom
3 Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust, Doncaster, United Kingdom

Abstract

Psychotherapy is effective in treating various types of mental disorders. However, the
biological processes underlying its therapeutic efficacy in the relief of depression and
anxiety remain unclear. An approach to investigating these therapeutic mechanisms
derives from an understanding of disease pathogenesis, in which the dysfunction of
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is strongly implicated. This study provides
a review of various studies investigating the link between the efficacy of talking
therapies in anxiety and depression and the measures of BDNF variability, the latter
determined by plasma and serum BDNF concentrations, BDNF gene polymorphisms,
and DNA methylation. Despite the few intriguing findings supporting the underlying
hypothesis that reduced BDNF function results in poor response, many studies are
limited by inadequate methodology and poor control of confounding factors. Thus,
*Corresponding author: opportunities remain for further well-designed investigations, particularly utilizing
Gavin P. Reynolds
(Gavin.reynolds@shu.ac.uk) the little-studied epigenetic factor of BDNF gene methylation.
Citation: Xu Z, Yao Y,
Reynolds GP. The molecular basis Keywords: Psychotherapy; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Molecular mechanism;
of psychotherapy: Focus on BDNF
in talking therapies. J Clin Basic Depression; Anxiety
Psychosom. 2025;3(1):22-31.
doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4461
Received: August 6, 2024
Revised: September 12, 2024 1. Introduction
Accepted: September 18, 2024
Strong evidence shows that various psychotherapeutic approaches are effective in treating
Published Online: November 28, psychiatric disorders. Efficacy has been demonstrated in people with various anxiety
2024 states as well as affective disorders and psychoses. A psychotherapeutic response is
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Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). often seen in people not responding well to pharmacological interventions, although
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This is an Open-Access article the extent of symptom relief measured as percentage response is comparable between
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution psychotherapeutic and pharmacotherapeutic responders. 5
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, The mechanisms underlying the psychotherapeutic response remain unclear. Previous
provided the original work is research has focused on interpreting responses in terms of psychological concepts rather
properly cited. than exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms. These non-biological, or at least
Publisher’s Note: AccScience non-molecular, processes invoked an understanding of psychotherapy outcomes often
Publishing remains neutral with related to the therapeutic relationship in therapy. In terms of psychosocial aspects, the
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regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional factors addressed may include resilience, coping strategies, social support, and quality of
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affiliations. life. Yet the current biological interpretation of psychiatric disorders as brain dysfunction
Volume 3 Issue 1 (2025) 22 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4461