Val66Met BDNF POLYMORPHISM IN PATIENTS WITH A HIGH RISKOF MORTALITY DUE TO STROKE AND SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

V.M. Shklovsky (1,2), V.B. Vilyanov (1), Yu.A. Fukalov (2), A.Yu. Remennik (2), L.A. Skipetrova (2), G.N. Kobozev (1,2), I.Yu. Orlov (2), A.G. Petruschevsky (2), A.V. Kudryashov (2), M.E. Kokoreva (2)
1 -Research Institute of Psychiatry, Moscow, Russian Federation;
2 -Speech Pathology and Neurorehabilitation Center, Moscow, Russian Federation

We have studied BDNF gene Val66Met polymorphism in patients with a high risk of mortality due to stroke or severe head injury. Genotype ValVal rate was higher than that of in the control group in the total sample of subjects (75,5% and 63,6%; χ2=4,63; df=1; p=0,03). In patients with consequences of severe head injury Val allele frequency was 90,0%, in patients with hemorrhagic stroke – 87,1%, in cases with ischemic stroke – 85,4%, in the united group of stroke patients, compared with controls, the differences were close to be significant (χ2=3,67; df=1; p=0,055). In this united group detected differences in frequency of genotypes were similar to controls (χ2=3,88; df=1; p=0,049). In genotype Met– cases the average size of the lesion of the brain as a result of ischemic stroke was 79,01cm3, Met+ – 108,85 (p=0,13). Val allele of Val66met BDNF polymorphism may be a factor of survival in patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and severe traumatic brain injury.
Keywords: 
stroke, traumatic brain injury, genes, brain-derived neurotrophic factor