Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is not regulated by testosterone in transmen

Biology of Sex Differences

Matthias K. Auer³  Rainer Hellweg⁴  Peer Briken²  Günter K. Stalla³  Guy T’Sjoen¹  Johannes Fuss² 

[1] Department of Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, Ghent, 9000, Belgium

[2] Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martininstr. 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany

[3] Endocrinology, Diabetology and Internal Medicine, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, Munich, 80804, Germany

[4] Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine of Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte, Bonhoefferweg 3, Berlin, 10117, Germany

关键词: Platelets;    Brain morphology;    Gender dysphoria;    BDNF;    Brain-derived neurotropic factor;    Testosterone;    Sex steroids;    Estradiol;    Transsexualism;   

Others  :  1235265
DOI  :  10.1186/s13293-015-0055-5

 received in 2015-11-04, accepted in 2015-12-28,  发布年份 2016

【 摘 要 】

Brain morphology significantly differs between the sexes. It has been shown before that some of these differences are attributable to the sex-specific hormonal milieu. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in myriads of neuroplastic processes and shows a sexual dimorphism. Transsexual persons may serve as a model to study sex steroid-mediated effects on brain plasticity. We have recently demonstrated that serum levels of BDNF are reduced in transwomen following 12 months of cross-sex hormone treatment. We now wanted to look at the effects of testosterone treatment on BDNF in transmen. In contrast to our initial hypothesis, BDNF levels did not significantly change, despite dramatic changes in the sex-hormonal milieu. Our data indicate that testosterone does not seem to play a major role in the regulation of BDNF in females.

【 授权许可】

   
2016 Auer et al.

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