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World J Psychiatry. Mar 19, 2022; 12(3): 379-392
Published online Mar 19, 2022. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i3.379
Neuroimmune crosstalk through brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its precursor pro-BDNF: New insights into mood disorders
Xiao-Pei Zhao, Hui Li, Ru-Ping Dai
Xiao-Pei Zhao, Hui Li, Ru-Ping Dai, Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Zhao XP collected the data and wrote the paper; Li H and Dai RP collected the data and supervised the writing of the paper.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82071347 and No. 81771354 (to Dai RP).
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ru-Ping Dai, MD, PhD, Academic Research, Chief Doctor, Director, Doctor, Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No. 139 Renmin Middle Road, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China. xyeyyrupingdai@csu.edu.cn
Received: March 29, 2021
Peer-review started: March 29, 2021
First decision: August 19, 2021
Revised: August 22, 2021
Accepted: January 22, 2022
Article in press: January 22, 2022
Published online: March 19, 2022
Processing time: 348 Days and 1.7 Hours
Abstract

Mood disorders are the most common mental disorders, affecting approximately 350 million people globally. Recent studies have shown that neuroimmune interaction regulates mood disorders. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its precursor pro-BDNF, are involved in the neuroimmune crosstalk during the development of mood disorders. BDNF is implicated in the pathophysiology of psychiatric and neurological disorders especially in antidepressant pharmacotherapy. In this review, we describe the functions of BDNF/pro-BDNF signaling in the central nervous system in the context of mood disorders. In addition, we summarize the developments for BDNF and pro-BDNF functions in mood disorders. This review aims to provide new insights into the impact of neuroimmune interaction on mood disorders and reveal a new basis for further development of diagnostic targets and mood disorders.

Keywords: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; pro-BDNF; Neural circuits; Neuroimmune; Mood disorders; Depression

Core Tip: The neuroimmune crosstalk plays a crucial role in the regulation of mood disorders. Recent studies have shown that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its precursor pro-BDNF are cardinal regulators in the neuroimmune axis. However, the roles and potential mechanisms of BDNF/pro-BDNF signaling in the neuroimmune crosstalk in the context of mood disorders remain unexplored. In this review, we summarize recent studies on the role of BDNF/TrkB signaling and pro-BDNF/p75NTR signaling in the neuroimmune axis and how they influence the development of mood disorders.