Connectivity across recognition memory circuits is reduced in carriers of the BDNF Val66Met single nucleotide polymorphism.

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Connectivity across recognition memory circuits is reduced in carriers of the BDNF Val66Met single nucleotide polymorphism. Nicole Mckay1* and Ian Kirk1 1 University of Auckland, Psychology, New Zealand A common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the gene for brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to impact both brain structure and memory performance. One area that has not been extensively researched is whether the BDNF genotype influences recognition memory performance and related brain structures. Recognition memory is comprised of two subcomponents, familiarity and recollection, that are dependent upon related but distinct neural circuits. The network that underlies processing of familiarity-based recognition judgments is dependent upon the medial dorsal thalamic nucleus, while the anterior thalamic nucleus has been linked to the circuit that underlies recollection-based processing. Carriers of at least one copy of the BDNF SNP were compared with non-carriers on two recognition memory tasks. Connectivity analyses were conducted to determine whether differences exist in white matter connectivity across familiarity- or recollection-associated tracts seeded from the relevant thalamic nuclei. In order to do this, probabilistic tractography was conducted. No performance differences were observed between SNP carriers and non-carriers on either recognition memory task. However, connectivity differences were found across both familiarity- and recollection-associated tracts: carriers of the BDNF SNP displayed lower connectivity compared to non-carriers. This result is consistent with the findings of previous studies that have shown carriers of the BDNF SNP to perform worse on memory tasks, and to have abnormal gray matter structure. Furthermore, white matter microstructural differences might help to explain the mechanism through which behavioural differences might occur in these two genetic groups. It is possible that performance on tasks that recruit these pathways might be reduced in those who have less connectivity across these tracts. Keywords: Diffusion Tensor Imaging, recognition memory, Probabilistic Tractography, structural MRI, brain derived neurotrophic factor Conference: XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 Jul - 31 Jul, 2014. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Memory and Learning Citation: Mckay N and Kirk I (2015). Connectivity across recognition memory circuits is reduced in carriers of the BDNF Val66Met single nucleotide polymorphism.. Conference Abstract: XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00287 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 19 Feb 2015; Published Online: 24 Apr 2015. * Correspondence: Ms. Nicole Mckay, University of Auckland, Psychology, Auckland, New Zealand, nicole.mckay@auckland.ac.nz Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Nicole Mckay Ian Kirk Google Nicole Mckay Ian Kirk Google Scholar Nicole Mckay Ian Kirk PubMed Nicole Mckay Ian Kirk Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.