Faculty Articles
Catechol‐O‐Methyltransferase Val158Met Polymorphism Associates with Affect and Cortisol Levels in Women
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2018
Publication Title
Brain and Behavior
Volume
8
Issue/Number
2
First Page
1
ISSN
2162-3279
Last Page
8
Abstract/Excerpt
Introduction
We tested the extent to which the catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism is associated with affective state and evening cortisol levels. We limited our study to women as previous research suggests that the link between COMT genotype and psychological health is entangled by sex differences.
Materials and Methods
The participants were assessed on measures of anxiety, mood disturbance, depressive symptomatology, and perceived stress. We also evaluated participants on a quality of life measures that included two emotion domains and two physical domains (physical health and environment).
Results
We found that under normal (nonstress) conditions, the COMT A allele (Met carriers, higher dopamine) associates with healthier affect and lower afternoon cortisol levels in women. These effects were limited to affective measures and not to physical or environmental quality of life.
Conclusions
These findings help to shed light on the complex nature of COMT and emotion, and suggest that both sex and task condition (stress vs. nonstress) should be considered when examining the relationship between COMT genotype and emotion.
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2Fbrb3.883
NSUWorks Citation
Hill, L. D.,
Lorenzetti, M. S.,
Lyle, S. M.,
Fins, A. I.,
Tartar, A.,
Tartar, J. L.
(2018). Catechol‐O‐Methyltransferase Val158Met Polymorphism Associates with Affect and Cortisol Levels in Women. Brain and Behavior, 8(2), 1-8.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/1558
