BDNF: A biomarker for social vulnerability in individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria

Gender Identity Disorder and Schizophrenia: Neurodevelopmental Disorders with Common Causal Mechanisms?

“…A recent study has found evidence of decreased serum BDNF levels in patients with GID [ 71 ]. The authors of this paper have suggested that these changes may be due to childhood adversity [ 71 ] or stress related to the patients' “minority” status [ 72 ]. Yet, it is equally probable that low BDNF levels may signal a defect or deviation in normal brain development in this patient group [ 73 ], in the light of what is already known about the role of this molecule in the sexual differentiation of the brain [ 74 ].…”

Serum concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria undergoing sex reassignment surgery

“…Although BDNF levels may be able to recover rapidly from acute trauma, it appears that transsexualism may require more extensive rehabilitation, in accordance with the hypothesis that the early and continual neurological effects of prejudice that transsexual patients suffer throughout their lives could be observed as continuous trauma that influences neuroplasticity, resulting from social vulnerability. 34,35 These results have opened up avenues for more comprehensive research opportunities that could evaluate the association of BDNF levels in transsexualism. While ensuing studies will need to readdress confounding factors in this methodology, these results should allow for a more extensive and informed support system for medical interventions in transsexual individuals.…”

Reduced serum concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in transsexual Brazilian men

“…After analyzing 259 individuals at 3 months of age and at 19 years old, they verified participants homozygous for both the BDNF Val and the 5-HTTLPR L allele showed significantly reduced BDNF levels following exposure to high adversity when compared to voluntaries with BDNF Met or the 5-HTTLPR S allele [9]. Considering the influence of childhood maltreatment in BDNF serum concentration [11], the role of BDNF in resilience [21,25], and the chronic social stress transsexual persons are exposed to [5,12,26], it is possible that the BDNF reduction are occasioned by social stress, specifically minority stress [12]. Previous studies highlight BDNF as a possible indicator of social vulnerability in individuals diagnosed with GD [12,16].…”

“…Comparing a group of transsexual women (n = 45) with a control group of cis-sexual men (n = 66), our previous study observed that the serum BDNF levels were significantly decreased in individuals diagnosed with GD [16]. Because prejudice against gender nonconformity is a common phenomenon occurring across many contexts in Brazil [13], we proposed that the decreased BDNF serum concentration in transsexual persons may be a result of those environmentally mediated vulnerabilities, suggesting that BDNF could be considered an indicator of the health effect of a social factor such as prejudice [12]. Nevertheless, according to Fuss et al, variations in BDNF among transsexual persons may be justified, not only by exposure to traumatic events or by association with psychiatric disorders but also by HT [18].…”