BDNF AS A POTENTIAL BIOMARKER OF DISEASE ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Abstract

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin that is expressed by immune cells directly in demyelinated areas of brain lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS). Also, BDNF plays an important role in the processes of neuroplasticity and prevents damage to axons and neurons after pathological lesions. In recent studies, more and more data are appearing on the possibility of using BDNF as a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of MS [1, 2, 3]. Determination of serum BDNF levels in MS patients may be an indicator of disease activity, which may allow early identification of patients with a more severe course of the disease.