Childhood Maltreatment and Conduct DisorderIndependent Predictors of Adolescent Substance among heal.pdf

Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2006:2(2) 219–225 ? 2006 Dove Medical Press Limited. All rights reserved 219 O R I G I N A L R E S E A R C H Abstract: Efforts to identify genetic factors that confer an increased risk for the expression of psychiatric symptoms have focused on polymorphisms in variety of candidate genes, including the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene. Results from previous studies that have examined associations between the functional COMT polymorphism (Val158Met) and mental health have been mixed. In the present study, we examined the relationships between COMT, early life stress, and personality in a healthy adult sample. Consistent with previous studies, we hypothesized that individuals with the low-activity genotype would have higher neuroticism and lower extraversion and that this effect would be more pronounced in females. In addition, we extended the previous literature by investigating the potential influence of early life stress. A total of 486 healthy adults underwent genetic testing and personality assessment. Results revealed that individuals homozygous for the COMT low enzyme activity allele had lower extraversion on the NEO-FFI and demonstrated a trend toward greater neuroticism. These relationships were not influenced by sex or the presence of reported early life stress. The finding that COMT genotype was associated with extraversion, and more weakly with neuroticism, is consistent with previous studies. Future research to clarify the influence of sex and gene–environmental interactions is warranted. Keywords: anxiety; depression; gene-environment interaction, early life stress Introduction Recent genetic linkage and epidemiological studies have focused on the identification of genetic polymorphisms thought to confer an increased risk for psychiatric symptoms, including anxiety and depression. The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been implicated in the expression of anxiety and depression secondary to its rol