PMID- 22445683 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20130227 LR - 20211021 IS - 1878-7398 (Electronic) IS - 1550-8579 (Print) IS - 1550-8579 (Linking) VI - 9 IP - 2 DP - 2012 Apr TI - Gender, brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met, and frequency of methamphetamine use. PG - 112-20 LID - 10.1016/j.genm.2012.02.005 [doi] AB - BACKGROUND: Frequency of pretreatment methamphetamine (MA) use is an important predictor of outcomes of treatment for MA dependence. Preclinical studies suggest females self-administer more MA than males, but few clinical studies have examined potential sex differences in the frequency of MA use. Estrogen increases expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which has effects on MA-induced striatal dopamine release and protects against MA-induced neurotoxicity. OBJECTIVE: We examined potential effects of sex, the Val66Met polymorphism in BDNF, and their interaction on frequency of MA use among 60 Caucasian MA-dependent volunteers screening for a clinical trial. METHODS: Data was taken from 60 Caucasian MA-dependent volunteers screening for a clinical trial. RESULTS: Females reported significantly more pretreatment days with MA use in the past 30 days than males. There was a significant interaction between sex and BDNF Val66Met, with the highest frequency of MA use among females with Val/Val genotype. CONCLUSIONS: These results, although preliminary, add to the literature documenting sexual dimorphism in response to stimulants, including MA, and suggest a potential biological mechanism involving BDNF that might contribute to these differences. Additional research characterizing the biological basis of altered response to MA among females is warranted. CI - Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved. FAU - Heinzerling, Keith G AU - Heinzerling KG AD - Department of Family Medicine and Substance Abuse Pharmacotherapy Unit, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. KHeinzerling@mednet.ucla.edu FAU - Shoptaw, Steven AU - Shoptaw S LA - eng GR - P30 MH058107/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States GR - 1 K23 DA 023558/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States GR - K23 DA023558-05/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States GR - K23 DA023558/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States GR - P50 DA018185/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States GR - 1 P50 DA 18185/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States PT - Journal Article PT - Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural DEP - 20120323 PL - United States TA - Gend Med JT - Gender medicine JID - 101225178 RN - 0 (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) RN - 44RAL3456C (Methamphetamine) SB - IM MH - Amphetamine-Related Disorders/*genetics MH - Analysis of Variance MH - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/*genetics MH - Female MH - Genotyping Techniques MH - Humans MH - Male MH - *Methamphetamine MH - Polymorphism, Genetic MH - Sex Factors MH - Substance-Related Disorders/*genetics PMC - PMC3322259 MID - NIHMS367240 EDAT- 2012/03/27 06:00 MHDA- 2013/02/28 06:00 PMCR- 2013/04/01 CRDT- 2012/03/27 06:00 PHST- 2011/10/01 00:00 [received] PHST- 2012/02/03 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2012/02/27 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2012/03/27 06:00 [entrez] PHST- 2012/03/27 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2013/02/28 06:00 [medline] PHST- 2013/04/01 00:00 [pmc-release] AID - S1550-8579(12)00074-5 [pii] AID - 10.1016/j.genm.2012.02.005 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Gend Med. 2012 Apr;9(2):112-20. doi: 10.1016/j.genm.2012.02.005. Epub 2012 Mar 23.