Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33152026›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2020

Peripheral blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Helia Mojtabavi, Amene Saghazadeh, Leigh van den Heuvel, Joana Bucker, Nima Rezaei

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
5.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

37 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 85 citations in OpenAlex.

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  11. The Therapeutic Effect of High-definition 1-Hz Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation in PTSD: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Helia MojtabaviSchool of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Amene SaghazadehResearch Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Leigh van den HeuvelDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa.
Joana BuckerBipolar Disorder Program and Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, National Institute for Translational Medicine, INCT-TM Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Nima RezaeiSystematic Review and Meta-Analysis Expert Group (SRMEG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.ORCID 0000-0002-3836-1827
Universal Scientific Education and Research Network · IRStellenbosch University · ZAUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul · BR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role in the survival, differentiation, growth, and plasticity of the central nervous system (CNS). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex syndrome that affects CNS function. Evidence indicates that changes in peripheral levels of BDNF may interfere with stress. However, the results are mixed. This study investigates whether blood levels of BDNF in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are different.

methodsWe conducted a systematic search in the major electronic medical databases from inception through September 2019 and identified Observational studies that measured serum levels of BDNF in patients with PTSD compared to controls without PTSD.

results20 studies were eligible to be included in the present meta-analysis. Subjects with PTSD (n = 909) showed lower BDNF levels compared to Non-PTSD controls (n = 1679) (SMD = 0.52; 95% confidence interval: 0.18 to 0.85). Subgroup meta-analyses confirmed higher levels of BDNF in patients with PTSD compared to non-PTSD controls in plasma, not serum, and in studies that used sandwich ELISA, not ELISA, for BDNF measurement. Meta-regressions showed no significant effect of age, gender, NOS, and sample size.

conclusionsPTSD patients had increased serum BDNF levels compared to healthy controls. Our finding of higher BDNF levels in patients with PTSD supports the notion that PTSD is a neuroplastic disorder.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overBiomarkersBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorChildFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticBDNF protein, humanBiomarkersBrain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

Identifiers

PMID33152026
PMCPMC7644072
OpenAlexW3094973254

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.