We studied two genetic polymorphisms (240C/T and 480G/A) of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene in Japanese patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 172), Parkinson's disease (PD, n = 327), and multiple system atrophy (MSA, n = 122), as well as controls (n = 275). The distribution of the 240 C/T polymorphism was significantly different between AD patients and controls, whereas there was no difference in the genotype of the two polymorphisms between MSA and controls or between PD and controls. Our data suggest that BDNF might play a role in AD.
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