Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) stimulates neuronal growth and protects nigral dopamine neurons in animal models of Parkinson disease (PD). Therefore, BDNF is a candidate gene for PD. The authors investigated five single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 597 cases of familial PD. Homozygosity for the rare allele of the functional BDNF G196A (Val66Met) variant was associated with a 5.3-year older onset age (p = 0.0001). These findings suggest that BDNF may influence PD onset age.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1823-1825 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Neurology |
Volume | 65 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Supported by the Bumpus Foundation, PHS grant R01 NS36711-05 “Genetic Linkage Study in Parkinson’s Disease,” and the Arkansas Bioscience Institute. The DNA samples contributed by the Parkinson Institute–Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento, Milan, Italy, were from the “Human Genetic Bank of Patients Affected by Parkinson Disease and Parkinsonisms,” supported by Italian Telethon grant no. GTF03009.