The A(-1438)G promoter polymorphism of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2a receptor (5-HT2AR) gene and its influence on the cortical density of 5-HT2AR was studied using brain tissue donated at autopsy from 58 schizophrenic and 64 non-schizophrenic subjects. A linkage between genotypes for the A(-1438)G and a T102C polymorphic site identified in a previous study was observed. Our data suggest no association of the A(-1438)G polymorphism with schizophrenia and no effect of the promoter genotype upon 5-HT2AR densities in either the schizophrenic or non-schizophrenic groups.