Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and suicidal behavior in adolescents
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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and suicidal behavior in adolescents Leo Sher New York, USA
The problem of adolescent suicide
Studies of adolescent suicide
Although there has been an extensive research on the neurobiology of suicidal behavior in adults, few studies have focused on the neurobiological correlates of suicidal behavior in adolescents. Studies of adolescent suicide have mostly been focused on demographic and psychosocial risk factors.[7-10] Such studies focus on who is at risk, but do not explain why certain adolescents are at risk for suicide. Studies of the neurobiology of adolescent suicide may explain why some adolescents are more suicidal than others and help to find biological markers of suicidal behavior in teenagers. Currently, we do not know the neurobiology of adolescent suicidality. We cannot treat and prevent suicidal behavior in
Author Affiliations: Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, James J. Peters Veterans' Administration Medical Center, New York, USA (Sher L) Corresponding Author: Leo Sher, MD, James J. Peters Veterans' Administration Medical Center, 130 West Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, New York 10468, USA (Tel: 718-584-9000x6821; Fax: 718-741-4703; Email: [email protected]) doi:10.1007/s12519-011-0316-2 ©Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011. All rights reserved.
World J Pediatr, Vol 7 No 3 . August 15, 2011 . www.wjpch.com
adolescents if we do not know the psychobiology of youth suicidal behavior. Suicide prevention efforts should be confirmed by scientific knowledge.
Editorial
A
dolescent suicidal behavior is a medical and social problem worldwide. [1-4] The tragedy of pediatric suicide is a national and global phenomenon. Each year about 100 000 adolescents kill themselves worldwide (one every 5 minutes) in the context of 4 million suicide attempts.[1,2] According to the World Health Organization, it is among the top three causes of death in the population aged 15-34 years. [1] In the USA, suicide is also a leading cause of death among those aged 15-24.[5] Twenty percent to 25% of American adolescents have seriously considered suicide and 9% have tried it at least once.[6] Suicide is rare in prepubertal children, but there is a precipitous rise in prevalence after puberty and through adolescence.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and adolescent suicidal behavior
Over the past decade the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior has attracted attention of scientists. [11-14] Neurotrophic factors promote neuronal survival, regulate many aspects of neuronal development and function, including synapse formation and synaptic plasticity.[15] Of various neurotrophic factors, BDNF has attracted a lot of interest because it is involved in the pathophysiology of many psychiatric disorders associated with suicidal behavior including depression, posttraumatic stress, schizophrenia, and obsessivecompulsive disord
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