title: The effect of BDNF val66met polymorphism on visuomotor adaptation.
abstract: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in learning, memory, and brain plasticity. Humans with a val66met polymorphism in the BDNF gene have reduced levels of BDNF and alterations in motor learning and short-term cortical plasticity. In the current study, we sought to further explore the role of BDNF in motor learning by testing human subjects on a visuomotor adaptation task. In experiment 1, 21 subjects with the polymorphism (val/met) and 21 matched controls (val/val) were tested during learning, short-term retention (45 min), long-term retention (24 h), and de-adaptation of a 60° visuomotor deviation. We measured both mean error as well as rate of adaptation during each session. There was no difference in mean error between groups; however, val/met subjects had a reduced rate of adaptation during learning as well as during long-term retention, but not short-term retention or de-adaptation. In experiment 2, 12 val/met and 12 val/val subjects were tested on a larger 80° deviation, revealing a more pronounced difference in mean error during adaptation than the 60° deviation. These results suggest that BDNF may play an important role in visuomotor adaptive processes in the human.
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Level 6, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.
authors.forename: Raed A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Joundi
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lopez-Alonso
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lago
authors.forename: John-Stuart
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Brittain
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Del-Olmo
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gomez-Garre
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mir
authors.forename: Ned
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jenkinson
authors.forename: Binith
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cheeran
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor