BDNF gene polymorphism (Val66Met) predicts amygdala and anterior hippocampus responses to emotional faces in anxious and depressed adolescents

摘要: A polymorphism of the human Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) gene that produces a valine-to-methionine substitution at codon 66 (Val66Met) is linked to adult anxiety and mood disorders, possibly through effects on brain circuitry function. Associations between BDNF variants activity have not been explored in anxious depressed adolescents. The current study investigated association genotype amygdala-hippocampal responses emotional stimuli adolescents with disorders and/or major depressive disorder (MDD) healthy Twenty-seven unmedicated patients acutely-impairing MDD 31 adolescents, matched age, gender IQ, rated their fear fearful, angry, neutral happy facial expressions during collection fMRI data amygdala hippocampus. Left right hippocampal were analyzed using repeated-measures analyses variance models, diagnosis (patients, healthy) (Met-carriers, Val/Val homozygotes) as between-group factors expression (fearful, neutral, happy) within-subject factor. Significant diagnosis-by-genotype interactions (F's>4, p's<0.05) characterized activations anterior regions. Greater than found. Critically, these hyperactivations modulated by genotype: Met-carriers showed greater neural faces homozygotes only. These are first demonstrate contribution correlates adolescent depression. Early "gene-brain" linkages may lay foundation for longer-term patterns dysfunction affective disorders.