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In this review current publications about neurobiology and marker value of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in neuropsychiatry are analyzed. It is shown that BDNF is an important member of the family of neurotrophins which widely represented in various structures of the CNS. In prenatal period BDNF is involved in all stages of neuronal networks formation, and in the postnatal period its main role is maintaining the normal brain architectonics, involvement in the processes of neurogenesis and realization of neuroprotective functions. BDNF plays an important role in learning and memory organization, food and motor behavior. BDNF brain expression decreases with age, as well as in degenerative and vascular dementias, affective, anxiety, and behavioral disorders. The reducing of BDNF serum, level reflects the decreasing of its cerebral expression and could be used as a neurobiological marker of these pathological processes but the rising of its concentration could indicate the therapy effectiveness.

Serum serotonin level (SSL) was studied using ELISA method in 21 patients with depression associated with panic attacks (PA) and 15 non-depressed patients (8--with PA, 7--with the autonomous nervous system dysfunction). The authors found significant positive correlation between increased SSL and severity of depression, according to BDI (r = 0.82, r < 0.05). There was no correlation with other signs of the disease (anxiety, autonomous nervous system parameters). SSL in control group was about 72.6 +/- 10.06 ng/ml, in mild depressed patients--203.41 +/- 26.47 ng/ml, in severe depressed patients--438.58 +/- 36.31 ng/ml (P(1-2) < 0.001; P(2-3) < 0.001). It was proposed to use SSL for verification the depression severity.

The present study aimed at investigating depression specificity and escitalopram medication efficacy in 33 patients with panic attacks (PA). Depression according to BDI was found in 96,4% patients with PA. Most important clinical peculiarities of depression in PA patients were asthenia, somatic preoccupation and anxiety in combinations with mild or severe depressed mood and mild lack of satisfaction. Development and severity of depression were significantly associated with duration and frequency of PA. Escitalopram was prescribed in a dosage of 10 mg/day for 2-months. The drug was shown to have high efficacy in the treatment of depression, high preventive activity for PA as well as good tolerability with rare and mild side effects. The conclusion was made that morbidity of depression and PA and depression specificity in patients with PA may be explained by the common pathophysiological mechanisms. Serotonin dysfunction may be the most important mechanism.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have an ability to migrate in the organism to injured tissue to exert influence on inflammation and reparation in these regions. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal time of MSCs transplantation for myocardial reparation in rat experimental heart failure. The experiments were carried out on inbred line Wistar-Kyoto rats. Myocardial experimental infarction (EI) was induced by ligation of the left descending coronary artery. MSCs were isolated from bone marrow, cultivated in vitro and injected into the tail vein on the day of experimental infarction operation. It was shown that the time of MSCs transplantation exerted an essential influence on angiogenesis in a damaged myocardium, on ventricular dilatation and morphological structure of the scar. The best time for MSCs transplantation was determined within two days before EI, and seven days after EI. As a result, the overload of the border zone of infarct region decreased, and no features of infarction relapse were shown in the border zone.