The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is associated with the functional connectivity dynamics of pain modulatory systems in primary dysmenorrhea.
Sci Rep
; 6: 23639, 2016 Mar 24.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27010666
ABSTRACT
Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM), menstrual pain without an organic cause, is a prevailing problem in women of reproductive age. We previously reported alterations of structure and functional connectivity (FC) in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) of PDM subjects. Given that the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) acts as a pain modulator within the PAG and the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism contributes towards susceptibility to PDM, the present study of imaging genetics set out to investigate the influence of, firstly, the BDNF Val66Met single nucleotide polymorphism and, secondly, the genotype-pain interplays on the descending pain modulatory systems in the context of PAG-seeded FC patterning. Fifty-six subjects with PDM and 60 controls participated in the current study of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during the menstruation and peri-ovulatory phases; in parallel, blood samples were taken for genotyping. Our findings indicate that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is associated with the diverse functional expressions of the descending pain modulatory systems. Furthermore, PAG FC patterns in pain-free controls are altered in women with PDM in a genotype-specific manner. Such resilient brain dynamics may underpin the individual differences and shed light on the vulnerability for chronic pain disorders of PDM subjects.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pain
/
Valine
/
Brain Mapping
/
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
/
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
/
Dysmenorrhea
/
Methionine
Type of study:
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Sci Rep
Year:
2016
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Taiwán