The findings support the importance of further study of VEGFA variation as a potentially substantial factor in influencing human variation in hippocampus-related functions, including mnemonic functioning, learning and resilience to stress. Moreover, as VEGF has been demonstrated to mediate therapeutic effects of antidepressant treatments and recovery from neurological injury in rodents (1, 12-14), further understanding of effects of VEGFA variation may have important implications in identifying individuals more vulnerable to hippocampus pathology, as well as those neuropsychiatric populations most likely to benefit from VEGF-mediated interventions.
