Open AccessAssessment of the relationship between Val66Met BDNF polymorphism and the effectiveness of gait rehabilitation in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy
Author(s) -
Bartosz Bagrowski,
Marta Czapracka,
J Krásný,
Michał Prendecki,
Jolanta Dorszewska,
Marek Jóźwiak
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acta neurobiologiae experimentalis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.542
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1689-0035
pISSN - 0065-1400
DOI - 10.55782/ane-2022-001
Subject(s) - rehabilitation , cerebral palsy , neuroplasticity , gait , neurotrophic factors , genotype , physical medicine and rehabilitation , medicine , motor skill , allele , psychology , brain derived neurotrophic factor , physical therapy , neuroscience , gene , biology , genetics , receptor
Cerebral palsy (CP) is associated with the non‑progressive damage of upper motor neurons, which is manifested by a variety ofsymptoms, particularly motor and functional deficits. During the rehabilitation of patients with CP, attention is paid to improvingmobility which can have a significant impact on the child’s development. The effectiveness of rehabilitation depends on the plasticityof the nervous system, which may be genetically determined. Of importance are the various polymorphisms of the brain derivedneurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene. It has been shown that the Val/Val genotype may predispose children to greater improvements infunction and its maintenance. However, subjects with the Met allele showed a reduced tendency to improve their motor functionsbut had significantly better results on indirect tests assessing gait function. Fifty subjects with CP participated in this study. They weredivided into two groups by genotype and examined on their rehabilitation progress in terms of improved gait function. The resultscorrelated with other studies describing the relationship between the BDNF genotype and learning motor functions in CP, and withnumerous studies on the relationship between BDNF genotype and neuroplasticity in stroke patients. This research provides a basis forthe identification of genetic biomarkers in patients with CP which can be used to predict the effects of rehabilitation therapy and helpwith the development of personalized treatments.