The association of BDNF gene polymorphism with cognitive impairment in insomnia patients

Publication date: Available online 1 August 2018Source: Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological PsychiatryAuthor(s): Nevin F.W. Zaki, Elsayed Saleh, Mahmoud Elwasify, Elhasanein Mahmoud, John Zaki, David Warren Spence, Ahmed S. BaHammam, Seithikurippu R. Pandi-PerumalAbstractBackgroundReductions in BDNF activity have shown associations with depressed mood. Other evidence has demonstrated that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) appears to reduce neural plasticity. A limited number of studies have investigated the influence of these genetic polymorphisms in insomnia. The present study sought to confirm the presence of associations between BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) occurrence in normal sleepers and those with insomnia.MethodThe study subjects consisted of a patient group (n = 199) complaining of insomnia and a control group (n = 51). Each subject was clinically interviewed using questions taken from the Brief Insomnia Questionnaire. After the interview, the subjects were asked to complete the Insomnia Severity Index, The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test. An overnight polysomnography test was also administered. Blood samples were collected for genetic study.ResultsThe insomnia patients showed a greater prevalence of heterozygous (A/G) VAL/MET polymorphism than the normal controls (p = ≤ 0.0001). This finding confirmed that this genetic polymorphism, which impairs BDNF activity, is an important ...
Source: Progress in Neuro Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research