A preliminary association study between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) haplotype and late-onset depression in mainland Chinese

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to assess the association of genotypes and haplotypes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) polymorphisms with late-onset depression (LOD) in a Chinese Han population.Method144 subjects with LOD and 110 control subjects were recruited for the study, assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and genotyped for 712G/A, 270C/T, 196A/G and 11757G/C variants by polymerase chain reaction.ResultsNo differences were found in the frequencies of the alleles and genotypes of tested BDNF gene between LOD patients and normal group. Interestingly, the distributions of 712G–270T, 196A–11757G, 196G–11757C, 712G–196A–11757G, 712G–196G–11757C, 270C–196A–11757G, 270C–196G–11757C, 712G–270C–196A–11757G, 712G–270C–196G–11757C haplotypes were significantly higher in LOD compared to healthy controls (all P < 0.05).ConclusionThe results tentatively suggest that BDNF haplotypes might be the susceptibility for LOD.