title: No association between BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and treatment response in obsessive-compulsive disorder in the Japanese population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of the neurotrophin family, and it promotes the development and function of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons. The Met allele of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is associated with a decrease in activity-dependent secretion of BDNF compared with the Val allele, and a number of studies have provided evidence for the association between this polymorphism and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether this functional variant of the BDNF gene is associated with OCD and treatment response in patients with OCD in the Japanese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We first performed a case-control association study between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and OCD (175 cases and 2,027 controls). Then, we examined an association between this polymorphism and treatment response in 96 patients with OCD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found no significant association between the Met allele and OCD risk or between the Met allele and treatment responses to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin reuptake inhibitor with an atypical antipsychotic (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism may not be associated as a risk factor for developing OCD or with therapeutic response in patients with OCD in the Japanese population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidehiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Umehara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shusuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Numata
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Aging, Behavior and Cognition, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shutaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakaaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan; Academic Support Office for Students with Special Needs, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Satsuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sumitani
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohmori
keywords: BDNF; SSRI; association study; atypical antipsychotic; obsessive-compulsive disorder; treatment response