title: Temperament and character in remitted and symptomatic patients with schizophrenia: modulation by the COMT Val158Met genotype.
abstract: While research on remission in schizophrenia has gained attention, personality characteristics associated with remission in schizophrenia have been under-studied. A functional valine-to-methionine (Val158Met) polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is shown to modify clinical presentation of schizophrenia despite weak or no association with the disorder itself. Studies also report that this polymorphism can affect personality traits. We aimed to examine personality traits of remitted patients with schizophrenia as compared to symptomatic patients and healthy controls and to investigate whether the COMT Val158Met polymorphism influences their personality. Scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory were compared between 34 remitted outpatients with schizophrenia, age- and sex-matched 72 symptomatic outpatients with schizophrenia, and matched 247 healthy individuals. The effect of COMT Val158Met polymorphism on personality was examined in each group. The analysis of covariance, controlling for confounding variables, revealed that compared to healthy controls, symptomatic patients exhibited a pervasively altered personality profile whereas remitted patients showed alterations in more limited personality dimensions and demonstrated normal levels of novelty-seeking, reward dependence and cooperativeness. The two-way analysis of covariance, with genotype and sex as between-subject factors and confounders as covariates, revealed that Met carriers demonstrated significantly lower reward dependence and cooperativeness than Val homozygotes in symptomatic patients; while no significant genotype effect was found in remitted patients or in healthy individuals. These findings indicate that remitted patients with schizophrenia have a relatively adaptive personality profile compared to symptomatic patients. The COMT Val158Met polymorphism might have a modulating effect on the relationship between personality and remission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan. Electronic address: hori@ncnp.go.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Teraishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikki
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsutoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan.
authors.forename: Kunimasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kunugi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012201:Reward; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013694:Temperament; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C588010:COMT protein, human; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase
keywords: COMT Val158Met polymorphism; Character; Remission; Schizophrenia; Temperament