title: Children under stress - COMT genotype and stressful life events predict cortisol increase in an acute social stress paradigm.
abstract: Dopamine and norepinephrine are key regulators of cognitive and affective processes. The enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catabolizes catecholamines and the COMT Val158Met polymorphism has been linked to several neuropsychiatric variables. Additionally, stressful life events (SLEs) contribute substantially to affective processes. We used the stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to investigate the effects of COMT and SLEs on the cortisol response in 119 healthy children (8-12 yr). Saliva cortisol was measured during and after the Trier Social Stress Test for Children. SLEs were assessed with a standardized interview with one of the children's parents. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant effect for COMT, with Met allele carriers showing a higher cortisol response (β=0.300, p=0.001). In turn, more SLEs lead to a less pronounced cortisol increase (β=-0.192, p=0.029) probably indicating increased resilience. Our results further underscore the essential and differential role of genetic variation and environmental factors on stress responsivity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology II, Technische Universitaet Dresden, Dresden, Germany. armbruster@psychologie.tu-dresden.de
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Armbruster
authors.forename: Anett
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Strobel
authors.forename: Klaus-Peter
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Lesch
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brocke
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kirschbaum
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012931:Social Environment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D004247:DNA; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase; D006854:Hydrocortisone