Disclosures: Sandeep K. Subramanian, PhD, MSc, BPTh: Nothing to disclose

Objective: The study objective was to examine the influence of a polymorphism in the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) gene on stroke recovery.

Design: Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses

Setting: N/A

Participants: N/A

Interventions: We conducted a computer-assisted literature search of MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases using keywords related to stroke and genetic polymorphism. We included studies that (1) involved adult humans with a diagnosis of stroke; (2) assessed of the presence of BDNF polymorphism and (3) were published in English. Studies that (1) examined the influence of BDNF polymorphism on other neurological conditions, and/or (2) only involved assessment of cognitive outcomes were excluded. We assessed the quality of the retrieved studies using the Downs and Black Checklist. We compared changes in recovery levels between groups with and without the polymorphism using standardized mean differences and/or Odds Ratios. We used the RevMan5 software for conducting the meta-analyses.

Main Outcome Measures: NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score

Results: We retrieved a total of 9 studies. Quality of the published studies ranked from poor to fair. Individuals with one or two met alleles recovered less (as measured by the NIHSS; effect size: -0.26, 95% CI: -0.46 to -0.05). Analyses of the mRS scores revealed greater odds of poor improvement in those with the polymorphism (summary Odds Ratio: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.80).

Conclusions: The presence of BDNF polymorphism negatively influences recovery after a stroke. The presence of polymorphisms needs to be considered while accounting for the prognosis and during discharge planning.

Level of Evidence: Level I

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/bdnf-polymorphism-influences-recovery-after-a-stroke/