VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
Transl Psychiatry. 2011 Oct 25;1(10):e51. doi: 10.1038/tp.2011.47.
Numerous studies have indicated a link between the presence of polymorphism in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cognitive and affective disorders. However, only a few have studied these effects longitudinally along with structural changes in the brain. This study was carried out to investigate whether valine-to-methionine substitution at position 66 (val66met) of pro-BDNF could be linked to alterations in the rate of decline in skilled task performance and structural changes in hippocampal volume. Participants consisted of 144 healthy Caucasian pilots (aged 40-69 years) who completed a minimum of 3 consecutive annual visits. Standardized flight simulator score (SFSS) was measured as a reliable and quantifiable indicator for skilled task performance. In addition, a subset of these individuals was assessed for hippocampal volume alterations using magnetic resonance imaging. We found that val66met substitution in BDNF correlated longitudinally with the rate of decline in SFSS. Structurally, age-dependent hippocampal volume changes were also significantly altered by this substitution. Our study suggests that val66met polymorphism in BDNF can be linked to the rate of decline in skilled task performance. Furthermore, this polymorphism could be used as a predictor of the effects of age on the structure of the hippocampus in healthy individuals. Such results have implications for understanding possible disabilities in older adults performing skilled tasks who are at a higher risk for cognitive and affective disorders.Translational Psychiatry (2011) 1, e51; doi:10.1038/tp.2011.47; published online 25 October 2011.
许多研究表明，脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）中的多态性与认知和情感障碍之间存在关联。然而，只有少数研究从纵向角度研究了这些与大脑结构变化之间的关系。本研究旨在探讨脯氨酸-BDNF 中的缬氨酸到蛋氨酸取代（val66met）是否与熟练任务表现下降速度的改变以及海马体积的结构变化有关。参与者由 144 名健康的白种人飞行员（年龄 40-69 岁）组成，他们至少连续 3 年完成了年度访视。标准化飞行模拟器评分（SFSS）作为熟练任务表现的可靠且可量化指标进行测量。此外，这些个体的一部分还使用磁共振成像评估了海马体积的变化。我们发现 BDNF 中的 val66met 取代与 SFSS 下降速度呈纵向相关。结构上，这种取代也显著改变了年龄依赖性的海马体积变化。我们的研究表明，BDNF 中的 val66met 多态性与熟练任务表现下降速度有关。此外，这种多态性可以作为预测健康个体中年龄对海马体结构影响的指标。这些结果对于理解认知和情感障碍风险较高的老年熟练任务执行者可能出现的残疾具有重要意义。《转化精神病学》（2011 年）1，e51；doi:10.1038/tp.2011.47；在线发表于 2011 年 10 月 25 日。
