title: COMT Val(158)Met genotypes differentially influence subgenual cingulate functional connectivity in healthy females.
abstract: Brain imaging studies have consistently shown subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortical (sgACC) involvement in emotion processing. catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val(158) and Met(158) polymorphisms may influence such emotional brain processes in specific ways. Given that resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) may increase our understanding on brain functioning, we integrated genetic and rsfMRI data and focused on sgACC functional connections. No studies have yet investigated the influence of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism (rs4680) on sgACC resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in healthy individuals. A homogeneous group of 61 Caucasian right-handed healthy female university students, all within the same age range, underwent rsfMRI. Compared to Met(158) homozygotes, Val(158) allele carriers displayed significantly stronger rsFC between the sgACC and the left parahippocampal gyrus, ventromedial parts of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). On the other hand, compared to Val(158) homozygotes, we found in Met(158) allele carriers stronger sgACC rsFC with the medial frontal gyrus (MFG), more in particular the anterior parts of the medial orbitofrontal cortex. Although we did not use emotional or cognitive tasks, our sgACC rsFC results point to possible distinct differences in emotional and cognitive processes between Val(158) and Met(158) allele carriers. However, the exact nature of these directions remains to be determined.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium ; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZBrussel) Brussels, Belgium ; Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Baeken
authors: Department of Data Analysis, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Daniele
authors: D
authors: Marinazzo
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZLeuven) Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Stephan
authors: S
authors: Claes
authors: Department of Data Analysis, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium ; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University Chongqing, China.
authors: Guo-Rong
authors: GR
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University Hospital (UZBrussel) Brussels, Belgium.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Van Schuerbeek
authors: Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University Hospital (UZBrussel) Brussels, Belgium.
authors: Johan
authors: J
authors: De Mey
authors: Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University Hospital (UZBrussel) Brussels, Belgium.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Luypaert
authors: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Rudi
authors: R
authors: De Raedt
keywords: COMT; females; functional connectivity; genotype differences; sgACC