Search

Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are trophic factors, widely distributed in the adult brain, whose expression can be modulated by psychoactive drugs. Administration of the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine resulted in a marked elevation of FGF-2 and BDNF mRNA levels in the rat hippocampus, but only under conditions of reduced NMDA receptor activity. These effects were drug-specific, given that they were not observed with the conventional antipsychotic haloperidol; and anatomically defined, since no similar effect was observed in striatum, prefrontal or frontal cortex. These results suggest that quetiapine may promote neuroplasticity via the up-regulation of neurotrophic factors when NMDA-mediated transmission is perturbed.

The number of mental disorders has been increasing but has yet to receive sufficient attention. In particular, healthcare students and professionals tend to have high stress burden. Finding the root cause of psychological distress is important to formulate a method for early detection and prevention. The association of brain-derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism to neuropsychiatric disorders has been widely studied. To study the interplay between brain-derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism and sociodemographic factors in the pathogenesis of psychological distress among Indonesian Pharmacy students. Level of psychological distress and sociodemographic profiling was collected by using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and sociodemographic questionnaires, respectively. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-amplified refractory mutation system. Pearson's chi square and binomial logistic tests were used to evaluate the correlation. This study recruited 148 participants. The psychological distress levels of the participants were well (27.03%), mild (37.16%), moderate (25.00%), and severe (10.81%). Genotypic distributions were AA (25.67%), GA (50.68%), and GG (23.65%). No statistical significance between genotype and psychological distress was found in the study (P = .076). The sociodemographic factors also showed non significance, except for the source of tuition fee among women students (P = .049). Psychological distress is not affected by genotypic and sociodemographic factors. Further confirmatory research with larger and broader populations is required., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)