Purpose of review: Clinical outcome after neurotrauma is considerably variable and can only partly be explained by known prognostic factors. There is converging evidence from genetic research that a number of genetic variants may contribute to this variability. This review provides recent data from human studies, published in the previous year, on genetic factors influencing outcome after neurotrauma. The bibliographic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO were searched to identify relevant studies.
Recent findings: Genetic susceptibility to various aspects of clinical outcome after neurotrauma was reported in recent clinical studies. Genetic loci investigated include polymorphisms in APOE, MAO-A, BDNF, NOS3, IL-6, NEFH, SLC6A4, COMT, PPP3CC and KIBRA genes. The importance of these findings and future directions are discussed.
Summary: Recent genetic studies have revealed emerging aspects and extended the existing knowledge regarding the pathogenesis of neurotrauma and the genetic influence on phenotypic diversity. A better understanding of the underlying biological pathways and molecular mechanisms of an individual's response to neurotrauma may hold the promise of novel treatment strategies and improved clinical outcome.