BDNF val66met genotype and schizotypal personality traits interact to influence probabilistic association learning

Ashley Jayne Skilleter; Cynthia Shannon Weickert; Ahmed Abdelhalim Moustafa; Rasha Gendy; Mico Chan; Nur Arifin; Philip Bowden Mitchell; Thomas Wesley Weickert

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2014.07.041

BDNF val66met genotype and schizotypal personality traits interact to influence probabilistic association learning

Behav Brain Res. 2014 Nov 1:274:137-42. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.07.041. Epub 2014 Aug 11.

Authors

Ashley Jayne Skilleter¹, Cynthia Shannon Weickert¹, Ahmed Abdelhalim Moustafa², Rasha Gendy³, Mico Chan³, Nur Arifin³, Philip Bowden Mitchell⁴, Thomas Wesley Weickert⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
² School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Marcs Institute for Brain and Behaviour, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
³ School of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
⁴ School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
⁵ 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.

PMID: 25125238
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.07.041

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.

Keywords: Brain derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism; Probabilistic association learning; Schizotypal personality.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Analysis of Variance
Association Learning / physiology*
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / genetics*
Female
Genotype
Humans
Learning Disabilities / etiology*
Male
Methionine / genetics
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / genetics*
Probability Learning
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Schizotypal Personality Disorder / complications*
Schizotypal Personality Disorder / genetics*
Valine / genetics
Young Adult

Substances

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Methionine
Valine