BDNF and depressive symptom measurement: Further, there is evidence that interactions of life stress/early adversity (including abuse and neglect) with BDNF Val66Met gene variants predict subsequent risk for psychopathology, such as depression, in youth and adults (Carver, Johnson, Joormann, Lemoult, & Cuccaro, 2011; Chen, Li, & McGue, 2013; Gutiérrez et al., 2015; Hosang, Shiles, Tansey, McGuffin, & Uher, 2014).