Neurotrophic factors, childhood trauma and psychiatric disorders: A systematic review of genetic, biochemical, cognitive and imaging studies to identify potential biomarkers

Background: Exposure to traumatic experience represents one of the key environmental factors influencing the risk for several psychiatric disorders, in particular when suffered during childhood, a critical period for brain development, characterized by a high level of neuroplasticity. Abnormalities affecting neurotrophic factors might play a fundamental role in the link between childhood trauma (CT) and early life stress (ELS) and psychiatric disorders.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted, considering genetic, biochemical and expression studies along with cognitive and brain structure imaging investigations, based on PubMed and Web of Science databases (available up until November 2021), to identify potential neuroplasticity related biomarkers associated both with CT/ELS and psychiatric disorders. The search was followed by data abstraction and study quality assessment (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale).

Results: 103 studies met our eligibility criteria. Among them, 65 were available for genetic, 30 for biochemical and 3 for mRNA data; 45 findings were linked to specific symptomatology/pathologies, 16 with various cognitive functions, 19 with different brain areas, 6 on methylation and 36 performed on control subjects for the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF); whereas 4 expression/biochemical studies covered Neurotrophin 4 (NT-4), Vascular Endothelium Growth Factor (VEGF), Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF), and Transforming Growth Factor β1 (TGF-β1).

Limitations: Heterogeneity of assessments (biological, psychological, of symptomatology, and CT/ELS), age range and ethnicity of samples for BDNF studies; limited studies for other neurotrophins.

Conclusions: Results support the key role of BDNF (in form of Met allele) as biomarker, both at genetic and biochemical level, in mediating the effect of CT/ELS in psychiatric disorders, passing through specific cognitive functions and specific brain region architecture.