title: Association of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism with BMI in chronic schizophrenic patients and healthy controls.
abstract: Several lines of evidence suggest that a functional variant of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF Val66Met) correlates with a number of eating disorders. Studies have also shown that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism was associated with weight gain in patients with schizophrenia on long-term antipsychotic treatment. This study aimed to determine whether there was a relationship between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and BMI values in patients with chronic schizophrenia. We compared 308 Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia on long-term antipsychotic medication with 304 healthy normal controls on BDNF polymorphism. Body weight and BMI were measured before breakfast on the day blood samples were taken. The symptomatology of schizophrenia was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. The results showed that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism was associated with the BMI value, with genotype having a strong effect on the mean BMI value in male but not in female patients. Our results suggest that variation in the BDNF gene may be a risk factor for weight gain in male patients with schizophrenia on long-term antipsychotic treatment.
authors.affiliation: Departments of aEndocrinology bNeurosurgery cBurn, Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan dMental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospitals, Central South University, Changsha ePsychiatry Research Center, Beijing Hui-Long-Guan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China fDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Yan Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.forename: Xing Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jair C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Jingping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xiang Yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D014633:Valine / Q000235:genetics; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C579455:BDNF protein, human; D008715:Methionine; D014633:Valine