Brain-derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism affects prefrontal energy metabolism in bipolar disorder

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism has been implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. We investigated the neurochemistry of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of bipolar disorder and healthy participants in relation to the brain-derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism using H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Absolute N-acetyl-aspartate, phosphocreatine+creatine (PCr+Cr), choline-containing compounds, myo-inositol, and glutamate levels were measured. Bipolar disorder met-carriers had lower PCr+Cr levels than bipolar disorder val/val patients, and bipolar disorder val/val patients had higher PCr+Cr levels than val/val healthy controls. These results indicate that bipolar disorder met-carriers have abnormal energy metabolism in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.