Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Mar 19;9(3):e92768.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092768. eCollection 2014.

Involvement of the BDNF gene in loneliness in adolescence: a report of opposite gene effects in boys and girls

Maaike Verhagen  1 , Eeske van Roekel  2 , Rutger C M E Engels  1
Affiliations

Involvement of the BDNF gene in loneliness in adolescence: a report of opposite gene effects in boys and girls

Maaike Verhagen et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Previous research has shown that loneliness has a heritable component and that genes within the serotonin-, dopamine-, and oxytocin systems are related to loneliness in adolescence. In the present study, the relation between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and loneliness in adolescent boys and girls was examined in a longitudinal study spanning five annual waves (N = 305). Latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) was used to examine the baseline level and the change in loneliness over time. The main finding was that the BDNF gene was not related to loneliness in the total sample. A BDNF by sex interaction was found, in that Met carrying girls had the highest levels of loneliness at baseline, whereas in boys the ValVal genotype was related to higher levels of loneliness. Our results underline the importance of sex-stratified analyses when examining effects of the BDNF genotype and the necessity of conducting gene studies to intermediate phenotypes of loneliness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Genotype distribution split for boys and girls.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Interactions between BDNF genotype and sex on intercept of loneliness.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Baumeister RF, Leary MR (1995) The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychol Bull 117: 497–529. - PubMed
    1. Perlman D, Peplau LA (1981) Toward a social psychology of loneliness. In: Gillmour R, Duck S, editors. Personal Relationships 3: Personal Relationships in Disorder. London: Academic Press. 31–56.
    1. Cacioppo JT, Hawkley LC (2009) Perceived social isolation and cognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 13: 447–454. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gardner WL, Pickett CL, Jefferis V, Knowles M (2005) On the outside looking in: loneliness and social monitoring. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 31: 1549–1560. - PubMed
    1. Rotenberg KJ, Addis N, Betts LR, Corrigan A, Fox C, et al. (2010) The relation between trust beliefs and loneliness during early childhood, middle childhood, and adulthood. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 36: 1086–1100. - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources