BDNF belongs to the neurotrophin family and promotes the survival of neuronal populations that are all located either in the central nervous system or directly connected to it. It is a major regulator of synaptic transmission and plasticity at adult synapses in many regions of the CNS. The versatility of BDNF is emphasized by its contribution to a range of adaptive neuronal responses including long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), certain forms of short-term synaptic plasticity, as well as homeostatic regulation of intrinsic neuronal excitability. The alterations in BDNF expression induced by various kinds of brain insult including stress, ischemia, seizure activity and hypoglycaemia, may contribute to some pathologies such as depression, epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease. Human BDNF has a predicted length of 247 residues and MW of 28kD for BDNF precursor and 13kD for mature BDNF.