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S071-4

Glutamate Complex and Bdnf Concentration of Depressive Patients with
Cognitive Dysfunction

Seoyoung Yoon, Changsu Han, Ho-Kyoung Yoon, Hyunsuk Dong

Korea university college of medicine, department of psychiatry, Korea

Background/Objective: Depression is known to affect patients' neurocognitive function, but some
of them show persistent cognitive impairment even after recovery from depression. Depression is
also highly prevalent in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and is a possible risk factor of dementia.
Studies suggest that glutamate attributes to the neurobiology and treatment of depression, including
cognitive impairment. Decreased BDNF levels have been reported in Alzheimer's disease and
regarded as a contributor to cognitive impairment. Changes of BDNF levels in depressive patients
also have been reported. So we aimed to find differences in biological markers like Glutamate and
BDNF in MCI patient with and without depression, which may promote our understanding in the
relationship between depression and cognitive impairment.

Method: 178 patients diagnosed as MCI by subjective complaints and neurocognitive tests were
divided into a depression group and a non-depression group and also into an amnestic MCI group
and non-amnestic MCI group. Serum BDNF levels were tested by blood sampling, and the level of
glutamate in the anterior cingulate gyrus was tested by Magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A Students'
T-test and one-way ANOVA was performed.

Result: The level of serum BDNF was significantly different among groups. Amnestic MCI and
non-depression group showed lower serum BDNF level. Glutamate levels in the anterior cingulate
gyrus(ACG) were lower in the depression group than in the non-depression group, but not
statistically significant.

Conclusion: Higher serum BDNF level and lower glutamate level in ACG were shown in depression
group than non-depression group. It suggest that depression may contribute to cognitive impairment
and independently, rather than just share same risk factor or being an early symptom of dementia,
and that BDNF may play greater role in dementia and glutamate may play greater role in depression.
Future studies should longitudinally follow glutamate level and cognition under treatment of
depression.