title: Influence of brain-derived neurotrophic factor genetic polymorphisms on the ages of onset for heroin dependence in a Chinese population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aims at evaluating the association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphisms and heroin-dependent patients in the Chinese population. Three polymorphisms of the BDNF-gene (rs10835210, rs16917234, and rs6265) in 486 heroin-dependent patients and in 226 healthy controls were genotyped for analyzing the association of these polymorphisms with age of onset of heroin dependence. We defined the healthy cases as "unknown phenotype" and used the endophenotype (behavior traits) to stratify the heroin dependents group on the basis of self-reporting traits for examining the association between BDNF polymorphisms (rs10835210, rs16917234, and rs6265) and heroin dependence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Allelic distributions of BDNF gene polymorphisms did not differ significantly between heroin-dependent patients and controls. However, we found that the AA carriers of BDNF rs6265 had an earlier onset of heroin dependence and a clearer tendency of family history of heroin-dependent than GG carriers after controlling behavior characteristics across rs6265 genotypes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggested that the BDNF genetic polymorphism (rs6265) may have effects on the age of onset of heroin dependence among the Chinese population. The BDNF gene could contribute to vulnerabilities to heroin dependence.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Youxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Manshu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Longjin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ran
authors.forename: Sim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moira
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor