Assessing Causality Between Plasma Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor With Major Depression Disorder: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

This study employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate the bidirectional relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and major depressive disorder (MDD), addressing gaps left by prior observational studies.

Methods

We utilized Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) datasets, including MDD information from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) and the UK Biobank (N = 500,199), along with plasma BDNF measurements from the FinnGen Consortium (N = 619). In a subsequent phase, we analyzed MDD data from FinnGen (N = 448,069) with plasma BDNF data from three additional GWAS sources: UK Biobank (N = 33,924), deCODE (N = 35,353), and INTERVAL (N = 3301). Multiple MR methods were applied to ensure a robust analysis.

Results

SUBMITTER: Chen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11919739 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature