rs8192466

This literature review examines the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) and its association with body weight fluctuations in psychiatric patients. The authors review evidence linking the Val66Met variant to weight changes across multiple psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, OCD, and PTSD. The paper proposes the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism as a potential biomarker for monitoring body weight changes in psychiatric patients, noting that Met/Met genotype carriers show greater BMI increases particularly in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

This case-control study of 42 African-American subjects with DSM-III-R schizophrenia examines the BDNF Val66Met variant (rs6265) and its association with age of onset. The study found a significant relationship between BDNF Val66Met genotype and both age of first psychiatric hospitalization (P=0.023) and first schizophrenia symptoms (P=0.006), with Val/Val homozygotes showing later onset than Val/Met heterozygotes.