Page 30 - JCBP-3-1

Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics BDNF in psychotherapy

Table 1. Serum BDNF/plasma BDNF after psychotherapy
Study Diagnosis Subjects Comparison Type of Length of Material analyzed Main findings
(N) group (N) therapy therapy
Koch et al. (2009) Depression 30 N/A IPT 6 weeks Plasma BDNF No significant effect
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Sadhasivam et al. (2020) Depression 142 N/A Meditation 4 days Plasma BDNF Increased by over 70%
36
and anxiety therapy
disorders
Bruijniks et al. (2020) Depression 170 N/A CBT or IPT 6 months Serum BDNF, No significant effect
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polymorphism of
BDNF (rs6265)
Kobayashi et al. (2005) Panic disorder 42 31 (healthy CBT 10 weeks Serum BDNF Significantly lower in the
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people) adverse response group
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Da Silva et al. (2018) Depression 158 N/A CBT 16 sessions Serum BDNF No significant correlation
Xu et al. (2023) Depression 30 30 patients MBCT or GC 8 weeks Serum BDNF Increased in the MBCT
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group
Guo et al. (2022) Depression 80 80 patients MBCT 8 weeks Serum BDNF Increased in the MBCT
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group
Orosz et al. (2020) Depression 71 N/A ICBT 6 weeks Serum BDNF Increased after treatment
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Abbreviations: CBT: Cognitive behavioral therapy; ICBT: Individual cognitive behavioral therapy; IPT: Interpersonal psychotherapy;
MBCT: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.

Table 2. Polymorphism of BDNF and psychotherapy
Study Diagnosis Subjects Comparison Type of Length of Material analyzed Main findings
(N) group (N) Therapy therapy
28
Bruijniks et al. (2020) Depression 170 N/A CBT or IPT 6 months Serum BDNF, polymorphism No significant
of BDNF (rs6265) correlation
Schosser et al. (2022) Depression 277 N/A CBT 6 weeks Polymorphism of BDNF Associated with the
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(rs10501087, rs11030104, treatment response
and rs6265)
Peters et al. (2021) Depression 106 N/A CBT or CNT 7 sessions Polymorphism of BDNF Associated with
39
(rs6265) depression scores
before and after CBT
Santacana et al. (2016) Panic disorder 97 N/A GCBT 9 weeks Polymorphism of BDNF No significant
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(rs6265) correlation
Hedman et al. (2012) Social anxiety 126 N/A ICBT and 15 weeks Polymorphism of BDNF No significant effect
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disorder GCBT (rs6265)
Lester et al. (2012) Anxiety 374 459 (healthy CBT Unknown Polymorphism of BDNF No significant
41
disorders people) (rs6265) correlation
40
Bakker et al. (2014) Depression 63 63 patients MBCT 8 weeks Polymorphism of BDNF No significant
(rs6265, rs11030101, and correlation
rs11030102)
Abbreviations: CBT: Cognitive behavioral therapy; CNT: Cognitive narrative therapy; GCBT: Group cognitive behavioral therapy; ICBT: Individual
cognitive behavioral therapy; IPT: Interpersonal psychotherapy; MBCT: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.

serum findings together or even, erroneously, using BDNF levels may serve as a useful state marker related to
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the two terms interchangeably. The fact that platelets inflammation measures. Given that several disorders,
may also release BDNF in response to pharmacological including depression, may reflect a chronic inflammatory
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stimulation provides a potential confound, particularly state in some individuals, this interpretation of plasma
in plasma studies, since even small amounts of platelet BDNF changes warrants further investigation.
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cell lysis may affect plasma concentrations. However, Studies on circulating blood BDNF implicitly test one or
serum should contain all blood BDNF following its release more of three related working hypotheses of the association
from platelets during clot formation. In contrast, plasma between the psychotherapeutic response and BDNF,

Volume 3 Issue 1 (2025) 24 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4461