Polymorphisms of the BDNF gene show neither association with multiple sclerosis susceptibility nor clinical course

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been proposed a protective role in multiple sclerosis (MS) in several studies. The val66met polymorphism alters the function of the BDNF protein, and has along with rs56164415 previously been reported to be associated with MS. We genotyped BDNF SNPs val66met and rs56164415 in 2149 Norwegian MS patients and 2747 healthy controls. No association was found for any of the SNPs to disease susceptibility or any clinical or demographic parameters including sex, age at onset, disease course, disease severity and cognitive impairment.