The association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor polymorphism (BDNF Val66Met) and suicide

Pregelj, Peter; Nedić, Gordana; Videtič Paska, Alja; Zupanc, Tomaž; Nikolac, Matea; Balažic, Jože; Tomori, Martina; Komel, Radovan; Muck Šeler, Dorotea; Pivac, Nela (2011) The association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor polymorphism (BDNF Val66Met) and suicide. Journal of affective disorders, 128 (3). pp. 287-290. ISSN 0165-0327

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Abstract

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mediates neural plasticity, mood, different behaviours, and stress response. A functional BDNF polymorphism (BDNF Val66Met) was reported to influence the effects of stressful life events or childhood adversity on depression and suicidal behaviour in various psychopathologies. The study evaluated the association between BDNF Val66Met variants and suicide, committed with violent or non-violent methods, in victims with or without stressful childhood experience. BDNF Val66Met polymorphism was genotyped on 560 DNA samples from 359 suicide victims and 201 control subjects collected on autopsy from unrelated Caucasian subjects and subdivided according to gender, method of suicide, and influence of childhood adversity. A similar frequency of BDNF Val66Met variants was found between all included suicide victims and the control groups, and also between the male groups. The frequency of the combined Met/Met and Met/Val genotypes and the homozygous Val/Val genotype was significantly different between the female suicide victims and female controls, between the female suicide victims who used violent suicide methods and female controls, and between all included suicide victims with or without stressful life events. The combined Met/Met and Met/Val genotypes contributed to this significance. A small group of suicide victims with available data on childhood adversity was studied. The combined Met/Met and Met/Val genotypes of the BDNF Val66Met variant could be the risk factor for violent suicide in female subjects and for suicide in victims exposed to childhood trauma. These results confirm a major role of BDNF in increased vulnerability to suicide.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF Val66Met) polymorphism ; childhood stressful experience ; Caucasians, suicide ; violent and non-violent methods
Subjects:	BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE > Basic Medical Sciences
Divisions:	Division of Molecular Medicine
Projects:	Project title Project leader Project code Project type Molecular basis and treatment of psychiatric and stress related disorders (Molekularna podloga i liječenje psihijatrijskih i stresom izazvanih poremećaja)- Nela Pivac 098-0982522-2455 MZOS Pharmacogenomics and proteomics of serotonergic and catecholaminergic system (Farmakogenomika i proteomika serotoninskog i kateholaminskog sustava)- Dorotea Muck-Šeler 098-0982522-2457 MZOS
Depositing User:	Matea Nikolac Perković
Date Deposited:	03 Dec 2015 15:25
URI:	http://fulir.irb.hr/id/eprint/2371
DOI:	10.1016/j.jad.2010.07.001

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