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Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: Interplay of BDNF and Childhood Trauma? A Review of Literature

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Abstract

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia. These deficits can also serve as an endophenotype for the illness in genetic studies. There is evidence that suggests that cognition can be considered a reasonable target for intervention in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. One of the most studied genetic phenotypes for psychosis is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphisms. BDNF has an established role in neuronal development and cell survival in response to stress and is abnormally expressed in schizophrenia. Studies have shown that childhood trauma is associated with poor prognosis of schizophrenic patients. BDNF-Val66Met polymorphism has been shown to moderate the impact of childhood adversity on later expression of affective symptoms, suggesting the possibility of gene environment interactions. Considering the recent advances of neuroscience an up to date review of relevant literature is warranted in this field. This article reviews the current literature available regarding associations between the Val66Met polymorphism, childhood trauma and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Maimonides Medical Center, 4802 Tenth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11219, USA

    Geetanjali Sahu, Kishor Malavade & Theresa Jacob

  2. Department of Population Health, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Kishor Malavade

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  1. Geetanjali Sahu
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  2. Kishor Malavade
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Correspondence to Theresa Jacob.

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Dr. Geetanjali Sahu, Dr. Kishor Malavade, and Dr. Theresa Jacob declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Sahu, G., Malavade, K. & Jacob, T. Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: Interplay of BDNF and Childhood Trauma? A Review of Literature. Psychiatr Q 87, 559–569 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-015-9409-8

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