title: BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism Is Associated with Self-Reported Empathy.
abstract: Empathy is an important driver of human social behaviors and presents genetic roots that have been studied in neuroimaging using the intermediate phenotype approach. Notably, the Val66Met polymorphism of the Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene has been identified as a potential target in neuroimaging studies based on its influence on emotion perception and social cognition, but its impact on self-reported empathy has never been documented. Using a neurogenetic approach, we investigated the association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and self-reported empathy (Davis' Interpersonal Reactivity Index; IRI) in a sample of 110 young adults. Our results indicate that the BDNF genotype is significantly associated with the linear combination of the four facets of the IRI, one of the most widely used self-reported empathy questionnaire. Crucially, the effect of BDNF Val66Met goes beyond the variance explained by two polymorphisms of the oxytocin transporter gene previously associated with empathy and its neural underpinnings (OXTR rs53576 and rs2254298). These results represent the first evidence suggesting a link between the BDNF gene and self-reported empathy and warrant further studies of this polymorphism due to its potential clinical significance.
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada.|Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS), Québec, Québec, Canada.|Centre de recherche de l'institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec (CRIUSMQ), Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Taschereau-Dumouchel
authors.affiliation: Human Neuroimaging Laboratory, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hétu
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Anaït
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bagramian
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Labrecque
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Racine
authors.affiliation: Centre de recherche de l'institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec (CRIUSMQ), Québec, Québec, Canada.|Département de Psychiatrie et des Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Yvon C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chagnon
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada.|Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS), Québec, Québec, Canada.|Centre de recherche de l'institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec (CRIUSMQ), Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Philip L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D004645:Empathy / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C579455:BDNF protein, human