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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2024 Oct 3.
Published in final edited form as: Nurs Res. 2020 Sep-Oct;69(5):376–390. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000454

Table 4.

BDNF Levels and BDNF Genotype Frequency in the Retrieved Articles (N = 35)

First Author Year Country (sampling area) Sample BDNF M (SD)/Mdn (IQR) BDNF Genotype N (%) SNPs Location
Serum BDNF
Bus 2011 Netherlands 1168 adults with subthreshold depressive or anxiety symptoms, or had high risk Total sample M (SD): 8.98 (3.1) ng/mL N/A N/A
Chaldakov 2004 Bulgaria 33 adults (23 with metabolic syndrome, 10 healthy without metabolic syndrome) N/A N/A N/A
Costa 2014 Brazil 30 patients with Chagas heart disease (16 non-dilated, 14 dilated) Patients with non-dilated Chagas M (SD):
15.1 (4.5) ng/mL at rest
12.8 (4.6) ng/mL after exercise

Patients with dilated Chagas M (SD):
13.2 (3.5) ng/mL at rest
10.9 (5.4) ng/mL after exercise		 N/A N/A
Fukushima 2015 Japan 58 patients with heart failure Total sample M (SD): 19.0 (5.6) ng/mL N/A N/A
Greisenegger 2015 United Kingdom 929 patients with TIA or minor ischemic stroke Total sample: Mdn (IQR) 0.8 (0.5–1.3) ng/mL N/A N/A
Jung 2011 South Korea 955 healthy men 1st quintile of VO2max M (SD) : 14.7 (3.2) ng/mL
2nd quintile of VO2max M (SD): 13.9 (3.4) ng/mL
3rd quintile of VO2max M (SD): 12.9 (4.0) ng/mL
4th quintile of VO2max M (SD): 12.4 (3.7) ng/mL
5th quintile of VO2max: 10.4 (4.0) ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Kadowaki 2016 Japan 157 adults (134 with chronic heart failure, 23 age matched control participants) Patients with chronic heart failure M (SD): 25.8 (8.4) ng/mL
Control participants M (SD): 14.7 (8.4) ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Kaess 2015 United States 3687 adults (669 Framingham Original cohort, 3018 offspring cohort participants) Total sample M (SD): 23.5 (8.3) ng/mL N/A N/A
Lasek-Bal 2015 Poland 87 adults with ischemic stroke Total sample M (SD): 9.96 (5.21) ng/mL
Men: 10.16 (4.94) ng/mL
Women: 9.77 (5.51) ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Lee 2012 Taiwan 58 men (34 with metabolic syndrome but not diabetes; 24 age-matched men without metabolic syndrome) Men with metabolic syndrome M (SD): 40.9 (8.0) ng/mL
Control participants M (SD): 43.2 (6.1) ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Lee 2018 Taiwan 48 women nurses Total sample M (SD): 21.6 (6.2) ng/mL N/A N/A
Lorgis 2010 France 40 adults (20 with acute myocardial infarction, 20 age- and gender-matched with stable angina) Patients post myocardial infarction M (SD): 1.7 (0.7) ng/mL
Patients with stable angina M (SD): 0.9 (0.4) ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Pedersen 2017 Denmark 447 adolescents in grades 6 to 11 Women M (SD): 26.98 (6.05) ng/mL
Men M (SD): 27.01 (6.34) ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Pressler 2015 United States 27 adults with heart failure Intervention group M (SD): 8.4 (4.6) ng/mL
Control group M (SD): 9.5 (3.5) ng/mL		 Val/Val 17 (63%)
Val/Met 6 (22.2%)
Met/Met 2 (7.4%)
2 (7.4%) could not be analyzed		 rs6265
Val66Met
Pressler 2017 United States 26 adults with heart failure Participants with APOE ε4 absent M (SD):
8.7 (3.7) ng/mL at baseline
8.9 (4.7) ng/mL at 8 weeks

Participants with APOE ε4 present M (SD):
10.5 (4.0) ng/mL at baseline
11.1 (6.7) ng/mL 8 weeks		 Participants with APOE ε4 absent:
Val/Val 10 (55.6%)
Val/Met + Met/Met 8 (44.4%)

Participants with APOE ε4 present:
Val/Val 7 (100%)
Val/Met + Met/Met 0 (0%)		 rs6265
Val66Met
Rahman 2017 United States 3457 adults (Framingham Original and offspring cohort participants) Total sample Mdn: 23.4 ng/mL N/A N/A
Sanchez-DeToledo 2014 United States 36 children undergoing heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass Total sample at baseline M (SE): 3.2 (0.7) ng/mL N/A N/A
Schutte 2016 South Africa 406 adults White adults M (SD): 1.7 (0.9) ng/mL
Black adults M (SD): 1.4 (0.7) ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Shibata 2018 Japan 94 patients who were hospitalized for worsening heart failure Patients with cardiac events at discharge M (SD): 18.3 ng/mL N/A N/A
Stanne 2016 Sweden 491 post-stroke cases,
513 case control participants (1004 total)		 Patients post-stroke M (SD): 18.3 ng/mL
Control participants M (SD): 23.9 ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Van Vuren 2019 South Africa 338 adults (186 White, 152, Black) White adults M (SD): 1.7 (0.9) ng/mL
Black adults M (SD): 1.5 (0.7) ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Wu 2019 China 160 patients with acute MI (78 with acute HF, 82 without acute HF) N/A N/A N/A
Zhang 2015 China 20 men (10 patients with STEMI, 10 healthy controls) N/A N/A N/A
Plasma BDNF
Ejiri 2005 Japan 107 adults (24 adults without CAD, 45 adults with stable angina, 38 adults with unstable angina) Adults with stable angina Mdn (IQR):
Coronary sinus 1.2 ng/mL (0.7–1.6)
Aortic root 1.2 ng/mL (0.8–1.8)
Peripheral vein 1.3 ng/mL (0.8–1.7)
Adults with unstable angina Mdn (IQR):
Coronary sinus 1.5 ng/mL (1.1–2.4)
Aortic root 1.3 ng/mL (0.8–1.8)
Peripheral vein 1.3 ng/mL (0.8–1.7)
Adults without CAD Mdn (IQR):
Coronary sinus 1.3 ng/mL (0.8–1.7)
Aortic root 1.3 ng/mL (0.8–1.7)
Peripheral vein 1.3 ng/mL (0.7–1.9)		 N/A N/A
Golden 2010 United States 496 healthy midlife and older adults N/A N/A N/A
Jiang, H 2011 China 885 adults with angina pectoris N/A N/A N/A
Kadoya 2014 Japan 250 adults with ≥1 cardiovascular risk factor Reverse blood pressure dippers:
ln(BDNF)a 7.2 (0.7) pg/mL
Non-dippers: ln(BDNF) 7.7 (0.9) pg/mL		 N/A N/A
Kurajoh 2017 Japan 324 adults with cardiovascular risk factors Total sample: ln(BDNF) 7.7 (0.8) pg/mL N/A N/A
Takashio 2015 Japan 242 heart failure patients, 80 case control participants Patients with heart failure M (SD): 3.7 ng/mL
Control participants M (SD): 7.3 ng/mL		 N/A N/A
Zembron-Lacny 2016 Poland 34 (17 older men and 17 young men) Young men M (SD): 1.6 (0.4) ng/mL
Older men M (SD): 1.4 (0.3) ng/mL		 N/A N/A
BDNF Genotype
Bozzini 2009 Italy 242 adults (99 patients with CAD, 143 healthy control participants) N/A Adults with coronary artery disease (n = 99):
Val/Val 53 (53.5%)
Val/Met 30 (30.3%)
Met/Met 16 (16.1%)		 rs6265
Val66Met
Jiang, H 2009 China 1168 adults (628 unstable angina pectoris, 276 stable angina pectoris, 513 control participants) N/A Adults with stable angina:
Val/Val 73 (26.4%)
Val/Met 135 (48.9%)
Met/Met 68 (24.6%)

Adults with unstable angina:
Val/Val 181 (28.8%)
Val/Met 343 (54.6%)
Met/Met 104 (16.6%)

Control participants:
Val/Val 139 (27.1%)
Val/Met 246 (48.0%)
Met/Met 128 (25.0%)		 rs6265
Val66Met
Jiang, R 2017 United States 5510 adults N/A Val/Val 3627 (65.8%)
Val/Met + Met/Met 1883 (34.2%)		 rs6265
Val66Met
Pressler 2015 United States 27 adults with heart failure Intervention group M (SD): 8.4 (4.6) ng/mL
Control group M (SD): 9.5 (3.5) ng/mL		 Val/Val 17 (63%)
Val/Met 6 (22.2%)
Met/Met 2 (7.4%)
2 (7.4%) could not be analyzed		 rs6265
Val66Met
Pressler 2017 United States 26 adults with heart failure Participants with APOE ε4 absent M (SD):
8.7 (3.7) ng/mL at baseline
8.9 (4.7) ng/mL at 8 weeks

Participants with APOE ε4 present M (SD):
10.5 (4.0) ng/mL at baseline
11.1 (6.7) ng/mL 8 weeks		 Participants with APOE ε4 absent:
Val/Val 10 (55.6%)
Val/Met + Met/Met 8 (44.4%)

Participants with APOE ε4 present:
Val/Val 7 (100%)
Val/Met + Met/Met 0 (0%)		 rs6265
Val66Met
Sustar 2016 Croatia 704 adults (206 with CAD, 498 healthy control participants) N/A Patients with coronary artery disease:
Val/Val 143 (69.4%)
Val/Met 55 (26.7%)
Met/Met 8 (3.9%)

Healthy control participants:
Val/Val 337 (67.7%)
Val/Met 140 (28.1%)
Met/Met 21 (4.2%)		 rs6265
Val66Met
Szabo 2013 United States 110 adults with CVD N/A Val/Val 77 (70%)
Val/Met + Met/Met 33 (30%)		 rs6265
Val66Met
a

natural logarithm.

Note. BDNF = brain-derived neurotrophic factor. CVD = cardiovascular disease. TIA = transient ischemic attack. MI = myocardial infarction. HF = heart failure. STEMI = ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction. CAD = coronary artery disease.