Investigation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor as a diagnostic marker of neuroplasticity in children with motor disorder delay

The relevance of researching biomarkers of neuroplasticity lies in the growing prevalence of motor disorders in children, as timely diagnosis and early intervention are critical for improving prognosis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic significance of brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels as a potential marker of neuroplasticity in children aged 7-8 months with motor development delay through an integrated analysis of gestational age, body weight, motor skills according to the Alberta Infant Motor Scale, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration. The study involved 25 healthy children aged 7-8 months without motor disorders and 56 children of the same age with motor development delay, including 28 children who were born full-term but had motor disorders and 28 children who were born prematurely with motor disorders. The study found a significant correlation between the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in blood serum and the degree of motor development impairment in children. Median levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor were highest in the control group (22.76 pg/mL) and progressively decreased in groups with motor development disorders (11.25 pg/mL and 8.30 pg/mL). Statistically significant differences in serum brainderived neurotrophic factor levels were found between all study groups (p < 0.00001). The results indicated that children with motor development disorders had significantly lower levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor than their healthy peers, which may indicate reduced neuroplasticity in these groups. These results highlighted the potential of brainderived neurotrophic factor as an objective criterion for early diagnosis, prognosis, and evaluation of the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions in children with motor development delays