title: COMT Val158Met-stress interaction in psychosis: role of background psychosis risk.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The interplay between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism and environmental stress may have etiological relevance for psychosis, but differential effects have been reported in healthy control and patient groups, suggesting that COMT Val158Met interactions with stress may be conditional on background genetic risk for psychotic disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with a nonaffective psychotic disorder (n = 86) and control participants (n = 109) were studied with the experience sampling method (a structured diary technique) in order to assess stress, negative affect and momentary psychotic symptoms in the flow of daily life.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multilevel analyses revealed significant three-way interactions between group status (patient or control), COMT genotype and stress in the model of negative affect (χ(2)(2) = 13.26, P < 0.01) as well as in the model of momentary psychotic symptoms (χ(2)(2) = 6.92, P < 0.05). Exploration of the three-way interaction revealed that in patients, COMT genotype moderated the association between stress and negative affect (χ(2)(4) = 11.50, P < 0.005), as well as the association between stress and momentary psychosis (χ(2)(4) = 12.79, P < 0.005). Met/Met genotype patients showed significantly increased psychotic and affective reactivity to stress in comparison to the Val/Met and Val/Val genotypes. In contrast, healthy controls did not display large or significant COMT Val158Met X stress interactions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Important differences exist in the effect of COMT Val158Met on stress reactivity, which may depend on background risk for psychotic disorder. Differential sensitivity to environmental stress occasioned by COMT Val158Met may be contingent on higher order interactions with genetic variation underlying psychotic disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, School for Mental Health and NeuroScience MHeNS Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Collip
authors.forename: Ruud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Winkel
authors.forename: Odette
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Peerbooms
authors.forename: Tineke
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lataster
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thewissen
authors.forename: Marielle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lardinois
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drukker
authors.forename: Bart P F
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Rutten
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Os
authors.forename: Inez
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Myin-Germeys
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D003702:Delusions / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012306:Risk; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase