Genetic polymorphisms for BDNF, COMT, and APOE do not affect gait or ankle motor control in chronic stroke: A preliminary cross-sectional study.
Rehab Aljuhni, Brice T Cleland, Stephen Roth and 1 others
PMID 32378476WHAT IT FOUND
Groups formed by BDNF, COMT, or APOE variants did not differ in walking speed, gait symmetry, or ankle movement control in this chronic stroke study.
The study was small, so this does not rule out genetic effects.
Key findings
01BDNF, COMT, and APOE genotype groups did not differ in comfortable or maximal walking speed among participants with chronic stroke.
02Paretic-to-non-paretic step length, step time, swing time, and stance time ratios did not differ between genotype groups.
03Accuracy of paretic ankle tracking did not differ between BDNF, COMT, or APOE genotype groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was preliminary and used a convenience sample of 38 people with chronic stroke. All data were collected at a single laboratory site. Small sample sizes and unequal genotype distribution were reported as limiting the ability to detect differences. Only 2 participants had two COMT MET alleles, so one-allele and two-allele carriers were combined and allele number could not be separated. For ankle motor control, 25 participants were included and 12 were excluded for insufficient ankle range of motion or missing values. All participants had chronic stroke, and 9 of 11 APOE ε4+ participants had ischemic stroke, so findings may not apply to acute stroke or hemorrhagic stroke.
Declared interests
No conflict-of-interest statement is provided in the article text. The paper is listed as supported by NIH extramural research funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that BDNF, COMT, or APOE genotype has no effect on stroke recovery. The study was preliminary, included only 38 people with chronic stroke, had small and unequal genotype groups, and examined only walking speed, gait symmetry, and paretic ankle tracking.