Polymorphism of neurotrophin genes and aggressive behavior in patients with affective disorders

Background. A decrease in the level of social adaptation and its high comorbidity with other mental disorders sig-nificantly influence the development of autoaggressive tendencies in affective disorders. Genes encoding a number of neurotrophic factors, including BDNF, NGF, and NRG1, may contribute to the regulation of aggressive behavior. Objec-tive. To identify associations between polymorphic variants of neurotrophic factor genes and various manifestations of aggressive behavior in patients with affective disorders. Material and Methods. The study sample consisted of 235 patients with a current depressive episode (ICD-10 codes: F31, F32, F33). The types and levels of aggression were as-sessed using the Buss-Durkee Inventory (BDHI). Genotyping of polymorphic variants of the genes encoding neu-rotrophic factors BDNF (rs7124442, rs11030104, rs7103411), NGF (rs6330) and NRG1 (rs3924999) was performed using real-time PCR. Statistical data processing was performed in the R software environment (version 3.6.2) using the R-Studio IDE. Results. Patients with affective disorders, carriers of the rs11030104*AA genotype of the BDNF gene, have higher rates of “irritability” and “suspiciousness” compared to carriers of the AG and GG genotypes. For the rs3924999*GG polymorphic variant of the NRG1 gene, associations with the BDHI questionnaire scores of “hostility”, “negativism” and “suspiciousness” were revealed. Conclusion. Polymorphic variants of neurotrophic factor genes play an important role in the development of affective disorders and are also involved in the development of aggressive be-havior in patients with affective disorders.