Citation

Kang SG, Lee JH, Lee K, Kim HC, Seo WS, Won S. Psychiatry Investig. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Korean Neuropsychiatric Association)

DOI

10.30773/pi.2020.0012

PMID

32295326

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Since the risk of suicide cannot be predicted by clinical symptoms alone, and suicide is known to have a genetic component, the discovery of genetic markers that can predict the lethality of suicide attempts is a clinically important topic. There have been many studies aiming to determine whether the rs6265 polymorphism of the BDNF gene is associated with suicidality; however, the results have been mixed, and there have been few studies investigating the relationship between this polymorphism and suicide attempt lethality.

METHODS: We assessed suicide lethality in 258 individuals who had attempted suicide using the relative risk ratio (RRR) scale and by genotyping the rs6265 polymorphism of the BDNF gene.

RESULTS: The RRR score for suicide attempts was higher in subjects with Met/Val and Val/Val genotypes than in that with a Met/Met genotype (p=0.015). The RRR score for suicide attempts was also higher in Val allele carriers (Met/Val+Val/Val) than in Met/Met homozygotes (p=0.006).

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the possibility that the rs6265 polymorphism of the BDNF gene could be used as a genetic marker to predict the lethality of suicide attempts, but more replication studies are needed for the application of this result in clinical practice.

Language: en

Keywords

Brain derived neurotrophic factor; Gene; Lethality; Suicide attempt; rs6265