Korean J Biol Psychiatry.  2005 Nov;12(2):216-220.

An Association Study of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Genes Polymorphisms and Personality Traits

• Ham BJ
• An HB
• Cho SM
• Ryu SG
• Choi MJ
• Lee MS
• Choi IG

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) genes are thought to be important factors in some personality traits. The goal of this study was to determine the role of these genes in personality traits. METHOD: The participants included 170 healthy adults with no history of psychiatric disorders and other physical illnesses for the last 6 months. All participants were tested by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). BDNF Val64Met gene polymorphisms were analyzed with PCR(Polymerase Chain Reaction). Differences on TCI dimensions and sub-scales among groups were examined with ANOVA. RESULT: There was a significant correlation between BDNF Val64Met and Persistence(PS)(p=0.036) in female subjects, but none with the other TCI dimensions. A post-hoc comparison revealed significant a difference between Val/Val and Met/Met (p=0.031).
CONCLUSION
Our study suggests that the BDNF Val64Met gene polymorphism is associated with persistence in Korean female subjects, but the small number of subjects limits generalization of our results. Further studies with a larger number of homogenous subjects are needed to confirm whether the BDNF gene is related to personality traits.

Keyword

Temperament and character inventory; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Personality traits; Genetic polymorphism

MeSH Terms

Adult
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor*
Female
Generalization (Psychology)
Humans
Polymorphism, Genetic
Temperament
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor