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TY - JOUR AU - Tonacci, Alessandro AU - Borghini, Andrea AU - Mercuri, Antonella AU - Pioggia, Giovanni AU - Andreassi, Maria Grazia PY - 2013 DA - 2013/08/07 TI - Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Val66Met) polymorphism and olfactory ability in young adults JO - Journal of Biomedical Science SP - 57 VL - 20 IS - 1 AB - Brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is linked to neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease) which are often characterized by olfactory impairment. A specific single nucleotide polymorphism of the BDNF gene, the Val66Met, modulates intracellular trafficking and activity-dependent secretion of BDNF protein. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible association between brain- derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism and olfactory function, a well-known biomarker for neurodegeneration, in healthy young adults. A total of 101 subjects (45 males, age 38.7 ± 9.4 years) were assessed using the Sniffin’ Sticks Extended Test, a highly reliable commercial olfactory test composed of three sub-parts, calculating olfactory threshold (sensitivity), odor discrimination and odor identification. The Val66Met polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction -restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. SN - 1423-0127 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/1423-0127-20-57 DO - 10.1186/1423-0127-20-57 ID - Tonacci2013 ER -