title: BDNF val66met genotype and schizotypal personality traits interact to influence probabilistic association learning.
abstract: The brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) val66met polymorphism rs6265 influences learning and may represent a risk factor for schizophrenia. Healthy people with high schizotypal personality traits display cognitive deficits that are similar to but not as severe as those observed in schizophrenia and they can be studied without confounds of antipsychotics or chronic illness. How genetic variation in BDNF may impact learning in individuals falling along the schizophrenia spectrum is unknown. We predicted that schizotypal personality traits would influence learning and that schizotypal personality-based differences in learning would vary depending on the BDNF val66met genotype. Eighty-nine healthy adults completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and a probabilistic association learning test. Blood samples were genotyped for the BDNF val66met polymorphism. An ANOVA was performed with BDNF genotype (val homozygotes and met-carriers) and SPQ score (high/low) as grouping variables and probabilistic association learning as the dependent variable. Participants with low SPQ scores (fewer schizotypal personality traits) showed significantly better learning than those with high SPQ scores. BDNF met-carriers displaying few schizotypal personality traits performed best, whereas BDNF met-carriers displaying high schizotypal personality traits performed worst. Thus, the BDNF val66met polymorphism appears to influence probabilistic association learning differently depending on the extent of schizotypal personality traits displayed.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Ashley Jayne
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Skilleter
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Cynthia Shannon
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Weickert
authors.affiliation: School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Marcs Institute for Brain and Behaviour, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Ahmed Abdelhalim
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Moustafa
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Rasha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gendy
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Mico
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Nur
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arifin
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Philip Bowden
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: t.weickert@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Thomas Wesley
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Weickert
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000235:genetics; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D011337:Probability Learning; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics*; D014633:Valine / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D008715:Methionine; D014633:Valine
keywords: Brain derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism; Probabilistic association learning; Schizotypal personality