Commentary: Duration-dependent effects of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on anodal tDCS induced motor cortex plasticity in older adults: a group and individual perspective

Response: “Commentary: Duration-dependent effects of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on anodal tDCS induced motor cortex plasticity in older adults: a group and individual perspective”

“…Shpektor et al ( 2015 ) suggest that our findings, whereby older Met carriers (homozygous or heterozygous for the Met allele) exhibit a greater plastic response to 20 min of anodal tDCS compared to Val/Val homozygotes, may be seen as “controversial” as we reported an influence of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on plasticity at rest (i.e., not during task performance). However, a broader search of the extant literature suggests that the effects of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on tDCS-induced plasticity are varied, even before one considers the interaction of tDCS effects with neural activation resulting from performing a concurrent motor task (e.g., Fritsch et al, 2010 ).…”

“…In a commentary on our recent paper (Puri et al, 2015 ), Shpektor et al ( 2015 ) provide alternative interpretations on the effects of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)-induced plasticity in older adults. Here we respond to several key issues raised in regard to our findings, and discuss broader implications for the field of non-invasive brain stimulation (NBS).…”