Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) has been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of malaria. To examine possible association of the IFN-gamma receptor 1 (IFNGR1) polymorphisms with cerebral malaria, 312 adult patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria (203 mild and 109 cerebral malaria patients) living in northwest Thailand were genotyped for six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including -56T/C (rs2234711) and a microsatellite marker in IFNGR1. A case-control association analysis failed to detect significant association between the IFNGR1 polymorphisms and cerebral malaria, thus implying that the IFNGR1 polymorphism may not be a major genetic factor influencing the development of cerebral malaria in the Thai population. These data also provide useful information for future genetic studies of IFNG polymorphisms in Thai patients.