Allelic Differences in the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Va166Met Polymorphism in Late-Life Depression.

The article presents a study that examined whether the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), Val66Met polymorphism, was associated with late-life depression in an outpatient population of older individuals who were evaluated at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. The study found that the Met66 allele was more common in older people with depression. Furthermore, the allele was not associated with other clinical findings, such as those with a family history of depression.