BDNF gene expression was one of the genetic biomarkers that highlighted because of its capacity of distinguishing BPD and MDD groups, and being adequately reproduced by more than one selected study.
Results suggest that: (i) NRN1 variability is a shared risk factor for both SSD and BPD, (ii) NRN1 may have a selective impact on age at onset and intelligence in SSD, and (iii) the role of NRN1 seems to be not independent of BDNF.
The positive association of BNDF Val66Met with high BMI values replicates previous findings in patients with SCZ and indicates the BDNFVal66Met genotype as a potential risk factor for obesity and insulin resistance measures in patients with BPD receiving antipsychotics as well.
There is no compelling evidence to supportVal66Met polymorphism in BDNF gene playing an important role in the susceptibility to BPD across different ethnicities.
Our findings suggest that BN, especially when co-occurring with childhood abuse or BPD, is associated with a propensity towards elevated methylation at specific BDNF promoter region sites.
We measured the percentage of methylation at BDNF CpG exons I and IV as well as plasma BDNF protein levels in 115 subjects with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and 52 controls.
Although these results should be interpreted with caution because of the limited sample for Val/Val genotype in BPD-II patients (N = 5), these findings strengthen the hypothesis that BDNF pathway gets involved in the etiology and pharmacology of BPD and suggest the differences between BPD-I and BPD-II.
The interrelations between serious life events, impulsive aggression and the BDNFVal(66)Met polymorphism as well as their implication for BPD are far from understood and require further investigations.
Positive associations with pediatric BPD and the BDNF gene (Vall66), the GAD1 gene (4s2241165), and the dopamine transporter gene (rs41084) have been reported but none of these associations have been replicated in independent samples.