title: COMT Val158Met, but not BDNF Val66Met, is associated with white matter abnormalities of the temporal lobe in patients with first-episode, treatment-naïve major depressive disorder: a diffusion tensor imaging study.
abstract: We investigated the association between the Val158Met polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, the Val66Met polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, and white matter changes in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy subjects using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We studied 30 patients with MDD (17 males and 13 females, with mean age ± standard deviation [SD] =44±12 years) and 30 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (17 males and 13 females, aged 44±13 years). Using DTI analysis with a tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) approach, we investigated the differences in fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity distribution among the three groups (patients with the COMT gene Val158Met, those with the BDNF gene Val66Met, and the healthy subjects). In a voxel-wise-based group comparison, we found significant decreases in fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity within the temporal lobe white matter in the Met-carriers with MDD compared with the controls (P<0.05). No correlations in fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity, or radial diffusivity were observed between the MDD patients and the controls, either among those with the BDNF Val/Val genotype or among the BDNF Met-carriers. These results suggest an association between the COMT gene Val158Met and the white matter abnormalities found in the temporal lobe of patients with MDD.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Japan.
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Hayashi
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Japan.
authors: Reiji
authors: R
authors: Yoshimura
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors: Shingo
authors: S
authors: Kakeda
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan.
authors: Taro
authors: T
authors: Kishi
authors: Department of Radiology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Osamu
authors: O
authors: Abe
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Japan.
authors: Wakako
authors: W
authors: Umene-Nakano
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Japan.
authors: Asuka
authors: A
authors: Katsuki
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Japan.
authors: Hikaru
authors: H
authors: Hori
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Japan.
authors: Atsuko
authors: A
authors: Ikenouchi-Sugita
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors: Keita
authors: K
authors: Watanabe
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors: Satoru
authors: S
authors: Ide
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors: Issei
authors: I
authors: Ueda
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors: Junji
authors: J
authors: Moriya
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan.
authors: Nakao
authors: N
authors: Iwata
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors: Yukunori
authors: Y
authors: Korogi
authors: Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Marek
authors: M
authors: Kubicki
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Japan.
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Nakamura
keywords: 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol; brain-derived neurotrophic factor; catechol-O-methyltransferase; homovanillic acid