Serum BDNF levels in adolescents with self injury behavior

Aim: Self injury behavior is an important mental health issue that is frequently encountered during adolescence and its prevalance has been increasing recently. Traumatic life events during childhood and biological reasons may be counted as important factors among the causes of self injury behavior. In this study, it was aimed to compare the levels of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in adolescents with self injury behavior and healthy adolescents along with comparing childhood traumas, patterns of handling anger, difficulties in emotional, behavioral and social domains of adolescents with self injury behavior and healthy adolescents with relation to their serum BDNF levels. Method: Adolescents who were 12-18 years of age with self injury behavior that have applied to Dokuz Eylul University Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department Outpaient Unit between the dates October 2012- February 2013 and healthy adolescents matched by age and gender with the subjects were recruited. Blood samples were gathered from the adolescents to perform serum BDNF level measures and they were also asked to fill in Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Inventory of Statements About Self Injury (ISAS), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and State Trait Anger Expression Scale (STAXI). Results: History of school, peer and family problems, self injury behavior in the family, suicide attempts and psychiatric disorders were significantly more frequent in adolescents with self injury behavior compared to healthy adolescents. It was also found that adolescents with self injury behavior engaged in higher rates of risky behavior and were exposed to more emotional, sexual and physical abuse than their healthy peers. Among adolescents with self injury behavior, most common self harm behavior was cutting while affect regulation function was the most commonly reported function of self injury behavior. Serum BDNF levels of adolescents with self injury behavior were lower than that of healthy adolescents. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the case and control group. Among adolescents with self injury behavior, adolescents that used the ?cutting? method had significantly lower serum BDNF levels and it was also shown that serum BDNF levels decreased as the intensity of emotional neglect and abuse during childhood increased. Conclusion: This study is important in providing help to enlighten the aetiology of self injury behavior in adolescents. It is wellknown that many risk factors function in self injury behavior, most prominently abuse, however there is a limited number of studies in the literature that focus on the impact of these risk factors on neurobiology and what the underlying mechanisms are. Results derived from our study indicate that BDNF might play an important role with in these mechanisms. Understanding the neurobiology of self injury behavior might help in getting a better grasp of the disorder and in turn, helping to generate appropriate treatment options in the future. KeyWords: self injury behavior, adolescent, anger, abuse, BDNF