title: Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene is associated with hypersomnia and mental health-related quality of life in a Colombian sample.
abstract: The identification of genes that are risk factors for major depressive disorder remains a main task for global psychiatric research. The Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been an important candidate risk factor for several psychiatric disorders. Previous studies have shown that a functional polymorphism (Val158Met) in this gene has an effect on several brain circuits and endophenotypes of psychiatric relevance. The aim of this study was to explore the association of a functional polymorphism in the COMT gene with psychological distress, sleep problems and health-related quality of life. Two hundred seventy young Colombian subjects (mean age: 21.3 years; range: 18-57 years) completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Oviedo Sleep Questionnaire and the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey and were genotyped for the Val158Met polymorphism (rs4680) in the COMT gene. A linear regression analysis, adjusting for potential confounding factors, was carried out. Subjects that were Met carriers (Val/Met and Met/Met genotypes) showed higher scores for hypersomnia (p=0.001) and lower scores for mental health-related quality of life (p=0.007), these associations remained significant after correcting for multiple testing. These findings support the hypothesis of a broad effect of the Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene on several dimensions of behavior and neuropsychiatric symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of NeuroPsychiatric Genetics, Biomedical Sciences Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of NeuroPsychiatric Genetics, Biomedical Sciences Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Angela J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Pereira-Morales
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of NeuroPsychiatric Genetics, Biomedical Sciences Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia. Electronic address: diego.forero@uan.edu.co.
authors.forename: Diego A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Forero
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D003105:Colombia; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011788:Quality of Life; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C588010:COMT protein, human; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase
keywords: Candidate genes; Hypersomnia; Mental health-related quality of life; Psychiatric genetics; Psychological distress