BDNF Val66Met and childhood adversity on response to physical exercise and internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy in depressed Swedish adults

• The genetic effect of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on treatment response in depression is not consistent in the literature. Childhood adversity is a known risk factor for depression which has been reported to increase depression susceptibility by interacting with BDNF genetic variation. We aimed to explore whether the BDNF variation Val66Met and childhood adversity (CA) predicted the treatment response to a 12-week intervention with physical exercise (PE) or internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) when compared with treatment as usual (TAU). A prospective cohort study nested within a randomised control trial was conducted using data from 547 participants with mild to moderate depression. Depression severity at baseline and follow-up was measured using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale. Met allele carriers without exposure to CA and current antidepressant use showed higher treatment response to PE than Val homozygotes. There was no evidence to support that BDNF Val66Met or CA alone predicted treatment response to PE and ICBT. The Met carriers had higher serum mature BDNF level. These data suggest that Met allele carriers benefit more from PE treatment but only if they are not exposed to early adversity. 

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Psykiatri (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Psychiatry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Childhood adversity

Cognitive therapy

Depression

Exercise

Gene-environment interactions

Neurotrophic factor

antidepressant agent

brain derived neurotrophic factor

methionine

valine

adult

allele

Article

childhood disease

cognitive behavioral therapy

cohort analysis

comparative study

controlled study

disease severity

female

follow up

genotype

homozygote

human

Internet

major clinical study

male

Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale

outcome assessment

priority journal

prospective study

randomized controlled trial

Swedish citizen

treatment response

adolescent

child abuse

epidemiology

genetic polymorphism

genetics

metabolism

middle aged

nonparametric test

physiology

procedures

psychology

statistical model

Sweden

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

Cohort Studies

Humans

Logistic Models

Polymorphism

Genetic

Statistics

Nonparametric

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)