The Role of the COMT Val(158)Met Polymorphism in the Phenotypic Expression of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

H. Katerberg, D.C. Cath, D.A.J.P. Denys, P. Heutink, A. Polman, F.C.W. van Nieuwerburgh, D.L.D. Deforce, Z. Bochdanovits, A.J.L.M. van Balkom, J.A. den Boer

    Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by the presence of obsessions and compulsions, and shows considerable phenotypic variability. Family and twin studies have indicated a genetic component in the etiology of OCD, and the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene is an important candidate gene for OCD. This study investigates the influence of the functional COMT Val158Met polymorphism on the phenotypic expression of OCD, using an item-level factor-analytic approach in a large sample. The COMT Val158Met variant was genotyped in 373 patients and 462 controls. It was tested whether there was an association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and OCD or dimensional phenotypes such as YBOCS severity score, age of onset of obsessive-compulsive symptomsand six symptom dimensions recently found in a large item-level factor-analytic study [Katerberg et al., submitted]. We further investigated possible sex-specific associations between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and OCD or dimensional phenotypes. There was a trend for an association of the COMT 158Met allele with OCD in males, and an interaction between the COMT Val158Met genotype and sex on the somatic and sensory phenomena symptom dimension, with females showing lower scores. In conclusion, a dimensional approach seems fruitful in detecting genes of importance for OCD. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)167-176
    JournalAmerican Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics
    Volume153B
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2010

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