Evidence for a Relationship Between Genetic Variants at the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Locus and Major Depression

Association studies of genetic variants of the BDNF gene with various psychiatric disorders have been published with reports of associations and nonreplications. Our findings suggest that BDNF may be a susceptibility gene for MDD and schizophrenia-in particular, in a subgroup of patients with schizophrenia with a lifetime history of depressive symptoms.