BDNF polymorphism rs6265 and hippocampal structure and memory performance in healthy control subjects.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is highly expressed in the hippocampus of many species, including humans. The single-nucleotide polymorphism rs6265 on the BDNF gene is thought to alter activity-dependent secretion of the protein, and previous research suggests that the Met allele is associated with smaller hippocampal volumes and poorer memory performance in human populations. For this study, we genotyped 154 healthy human subjects for the Val66Met polymorphism.

Individual differences in the expression of a "general" learning ability in mice.

Human performance on diverse tests of intellect are impacted by a "general" regulatory factor that accounts for up to 50% of the variance between individuals on intelligence tests. Neurobiological determinants of general cognitive abilities are essentially unknown, owing in part to the paucity of animal research wherein neurobiological analyses are possible. We report a methodology with which we have assessed individual differences in the general learning abilities of laboratory mice.