Hippocampal Volumes and the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor val66met Polymorphism in Geriatric Major Depression

These results provide preliminary evidence of a neuroprotective role of the val/val genotype, suggesting that neurotrophic factor production protects against pathophysiological processes triggered by depression in older adults with later age of onset of MDD. The BDNF val66met polymorphism may play a salient role in structural alterations of the hippocampus in older adults with MDD.