BDNF and depressive disorder: For example, in the depression literature, it has been hypothesised that elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels may lead to symptoms of depression, partly via their disruption of growth factor production, e.g., brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) [32] and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A [33], which has a subsequent effect on adult neurogenesis [28,34].