SERUM BDNF AND COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS PATIENTS

• Grant number: 15/08833-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2016
• End date: February 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Orlando Graziani Povoas Barsottini
• Grantee: Orlando Graziani Povoas Barsottini
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Cristiane Kayser ; Livia Almeida Dutra

Abstract

ABSTRACTNeuropsychiatric manifestations are found in 50% of patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), being cognitive dysfunction (CD) the most prevalent of them. CD requires a specific neuropsychological evaluation, suggested by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), for its diagnosis. However, few studies have evaluated their applicability in the Brazilian population of patients. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of neurotrophic family of nerve growth factors, a key protein in promoting memory, growth and survival of neurons that may be altered in SLE patients, but its applicability as a biomarker of neuropsychiatric manifestations in SLE is still controversial. The aim of this study is to verify the association between CD and serum BDNF in SLE. A secondary objective is study the applicability of a neuropsychological battery for SLE structured to DC in Brazilian patients. This is a transversal study with three groups: (1) GLES-NP, 64 SLE patients with neuropsychiatric manifestations; (2) GLES, 64 SLE patients without neuropsychiatric manifestations; and (3) GC, 64 healthy volunteers matched for age, education and gender. A neuropsychological battery named LES-BR will be applied to all participants and encompasses the following tests: Matrix Reasoning, Digit Symbol and Letter-Number Sequencing, from the WAIS III; Color Trail Test; Stroop Test; Rey Complex Figure; RAVLT; and Verbal Fluency. BDNF serum levels will be determined. Clinical, neuropsychological data and BDNF levels will be compared with Kruskal-Wallis test, ANOVA, and Fisher´s exact test. Multivariate analysis will evaluate the association between clinical variables, CD and BDNF. Statistical significance will be defined as p-value < 0.05Keywords: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Cognition, Neuropsychological Assessment, Cognitive Dysfunction, Memory, BDNF. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ALESSI, HELENA; DUTRA, LIVIA ALMEIDA; MARIA, LILIA A.; COUBE, PAULA C.; HOSHINO, KARINA; DE ABRANTES, FABIANO F.; LOPES, FERNANDA C.; DE SOUZA, ALEXANDRE WAGNER S.; KAYSER, CRISTIANE; BARSOTTINI, ORLANDO G. P.. Serum BDNF and cognitive dysfunction in SLE: findings from a cohort of 111 patients. CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY, v. 41, n. 2, SEP 2021. (15/08833-7)

ALESSI, HELENA; DUTRA, LIVIA ALMEIDA; MARIA, LILIA; XAVIER, PLACIDO; COUCE, PAULA; KAYSER, CRISTIANE; BARSOTTINI, ORLANDO. Predictive Variables of Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Lupus. Neurology, v. 88, p. 2-pg., 2017-04-18. (15/08833-7)

ALESSI, HELENA; DUTRA, LIVIA ALMEIDA; BRAGA-NETO, PEDRO; PEDROSO, JOSE LUIZ; TOSO, FABIO F.; KAYSER, CRISTIANE; BARSOTTINI, ORLANDO G. P.. Neuropsychiatric Lupus in clinical practice. Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, v. 74, n. 12, p. 1021-1030, DEC 2016. (15/08833-7)