The brain-derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism and variation in human cortical morphology

A variation in the BDNF gene ( val66met) affects the function of BDNF in neurons, predicts variation in human memory, and is associated several neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here, we show that, in magnetic resonance imaging scans of a large sample of normal this polymorphism affects the anatomy of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, identifying a genetic mechanism of in brain morphology related to learning and memory.