Brooks S.J., Nilsson E.K., Jacobsson J.A., Stein D.J., Fredriksson R., Lind L., Schiöth H.B.
Department of Neuroscience, Functional Pharmacology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Brooks, S.J., Department of Neuroscience, Functional Pharmacology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Nilsson, E.K., Department of Neuroscience, Functional Pharmacology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Jacobsson, J.A., Department of Neuroscience, Functional Pharmacology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Stein, D.J., Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Fredriksson, R., Department of Neuroscience, Functional Pharmacology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Lind, L., Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Schiöth, H.B., Department of Neuroscience, Functional Pharmacology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) links learning, memory and cognitive decline in elderly, but evidence linking BDNF allele variation, cognition and brain structural differences is lacking. Methods: 367 elderly Swedish men (n = 181) and women (n = 186) from Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala seniors (PIVUS) were genotyped and the BDNF functional rs6265 SNP was further examined in subjects who completed the Trail Making Task (TMT), verbal fluency task, and had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) examined brain structure, cognition and links with BDNF. Results: The functional BDNF SNP (rs6265,) predicted better working memory performance on the TMT with positive association of the Met rs6265, and was linked with greater cerebellar, precuneus, left superior frontal gyrus and bilateral hippocampal volume, and reduced brainstem and bilateral posterior cingulate volumes. Conclusions: The functional BDNF polymorphism influences brain volume in regions associated with memory and regulation of sensorimotor control, with the Met rs6265 allele potentially being more beneficial to these functions in the elderly. © 2014 Brooks et al.
brain derived neurotrophic factor; aged; article; BDNF gene; brain size; brain stem; cerebellum; cognition; female; gene linkage disequilibrium; genotype; hippocampus; human; male; nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; nuclear magnetic resonance scanner; posterior cingulate; precuneus; prefrontal cortex; psychologic test; single nucleotide polymorphism; superior frontal gyrus; task performance; verbal fluency task; voxel based morphometry; working memory; Aged; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Cerebellum; Executive Function; Female; Functional Neuroimaging; Gene Expression; Genetic Association Studies; Hippocampus; Humans; Linkage Disequilibrium; Male; Memory, Short-Term; Organ Size; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Prefrontal Cortex; Prospective Studies