Catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism affects therapeutic response to mood stabilizer in symptomatic manic patients.

Abstract

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a candidate gene for the pathogenesis of some psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study is to examine the role of the COMT gene Val158Met polymorphism on the clinical aspects of bipolar disorder including symptomatology and therapeutic response. This study comprised 144 unrelated manic patients who met strict DSM-IV criteria for bipolar I disorder and 157 healthy unrelated controls. All subjects were of Korean ethnicity. To evaluate the clinical symptoms, we used the Young Mania Rating Scale at baseline and 6 weeks after treatment. No statistically significant difference in genotype distribution was found between manic patients and normal controls. There was also no significant difference in symptomatology among the genotypes in manic patients. In therapeutic response, however, patients with the Met/Met genotype were significantly more frequent in the non-responder than in the responder group. Our results suggest that the COMT gene polymorphism in the therapeutic response to mood stabilizers in manic patients. Further studies with a larger number of subjects and well-controlled design will be required to better understand the role of the COMT gene polymorphism on the therapeutic response to mood stabilizer in manic patients.

• Authors: Hwa-Young Lee, Yong-Ku Kim
• Journal: Psychiatry research (Psychiatry Res) Vol. 175 Issue 1-2 Pg. 63-6 (Jan 30 2010) ISSN: 0165-1781 [Print] Ireland
• PMID: 20004480 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antimanic Agents
• Methionine
• Catechol O-Methyltransferase
• Valine

Topics

• Adult
• Antimanic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Bipolar Disorder (drug therapy, genetics, physiopathology)
• Catechol O-Methyltransferase (genetics)
• Female
• Gene Frequency
• Genetic Predisposition to Disease
• Genotype
• Humans
• Male
• Methionine (genetics)
• Middle Aged
• Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational (genetics)
• Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
• Retrospective Studies
• Statistics, Nonparametric
• Valine (genetics)
• Young Adult