Effect of BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism on Digital Working Memory and Spatial Localization in a Healthy Chinese Han Population

Abstract

Cognitive abilities are complex human traits influenced by genetic factors. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a unique polypeptide growth factor, has an influence on the differentiation and survival of neurons in the nervous system. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs6265) in the human gene, resulting in a valine to methionine substitution in the pro-BDNF protein, was thought to associate with psychiatric disorders and might play roles in the individual difference of cognitive abilities. However, the specific roles of the gene in cognition remain unclear. To investigate the relationships between the substitution and cognitive abilities, a healthy population-based study and the PCR-SSCP method were performed. The results showed the substitution was associated with digital working memory (p = 0.02) and spatial localization (p = 0.03), but not with inhibition, shifting, updating, visuo-spatial working memory, long-term memory, and others (p > 0.05) among the compared genotype groups analyzed by general linear model. On the other hand, the participants with BDNF (GG) had higher average performance in digital working memory and spatial localization than the ones with BDNF (AA). The findings of the present work implied that the variation in BDNF might play positive roles in human digital working memory and spatial localization.

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene Val66Met polymorphism affects memory performance in older adults

“…15,17 Differences in socioeconomic status as well as in age range between the samples analyzed in these studies might explain these contradictory findings. Our sample was composed of older adults with a younger mean age and from a lower-income setting when compared with the two cohorts of the elderly Scottish population published in 2006.…”

“…15,17 Considering these heterogeneous findings and the lack of evidence linking the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism with cognitive performance in older adults without psychiatry disorders, the current study was designed to investigate the effect of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on declarative memory performance in elders from community associations without global cognitive impairment. We hypothesized that the individuals with a genetic predisposition to expression of BDNF (Met allele carriers) would show lower declarative memory performance.…”

Long‐term acclimatization to high‐altitude hypoxia modifies interhemispheric functional and structural connectivity in the adult brain

“…(5) The mental rotation task we employed was a version of the task described in Gong et al. (2009). This mental rotation paradigm detects both spatial orientation ability and spatial visualization.…”

The association of brain derived neurotrophic factor gene variants with behaviour traits in sika deer (<i>Cervus nippon</i>)

“…Several genetic studies have suggested that the Met variant of the BDNF Val 66 Met polymorphism is associated with poor performance on memory tests (Gong et al, 2009). It has been reported that the Val 66 Met polymorphism has been associated with a phenotype of increased anxiety-related behaviours in stressful settings in animal studies (Hashimoto, 2007) and higher levels of the anxiety/ anxious temperament trait (Lang et al, 2005) in humans.…”