REVIEW: BDNF as a Mediator between Body Metabolism and Brain Function in Health and Disease: The Case of Alcohol Dependence

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Danil I. Peregud^1,2,a* and Nataliya V. Gulyaeva^2,3

¹Serbsky National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 119034 Moscow, Russia

²Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117485 Moscow, Russia

³Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry of Moscow Healthcare Department, 115419 Moscow, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: March 14, 2026; Revised: April 23, 2026; Accepted: April 27, 2026

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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is widely recognized as a critical molecule for the survival, growth, and maintenance of neurons in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as for the development of cognitive abilities and emotions. However, recent studies have shown that, in addition to its role as a universal brain “fertilizer”, BDNF acts as a metabotrophin linking neuronal signaling with systemic metabolism. BDNF serves as a key factor that integrates the body’s response to stress, physical activity, and food intake with cellular mechanisms underlying neural plasticity and normal brain function. The review presents evidence supporting BDNF as a bidirectionally metabolic “bridge”: body metabolism controls BDNF production in the brain, while brain BDNF regulates body metabolism. Disruption of this regulatory axis is associated with a broad range of neurological and somatic disorders, as well as their comorbidities. Cellular mechanisms associated with disruptions in BDNF functions are explored in detail through the example of alcohol dependence, a condition characterized by both impaired brain signaling and somatic pathologies accompanied by metabolic changes.

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KEY WORDS: neurotrophic factor, BDNF, synaptic plasticity, stress, neurohumoral system, metabolism, energy balance, alcohol dependence, brain, visceral systems, neuroendocrine mechanisms, brain diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, mental illnesses, somatic diseases, metabolic disturbances, comorbidity

DOI: 10.1134/S000629792660078X

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