Difference of Val-158-Met Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Gene Polymorphism between Early- and Late-onset Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Korea.
- Author:
Keun Ah CHEON
1
;
Se Joo KIM
;
Chan Hyung KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Kwandong University, Goyang, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
COMT;
Polymorphism;
Early-onset;
Late-onset;
OCD
- MeSH:
Alleles;
Catechol O-Methyltransferase*;
DNA;
Gene Frequency;
Genotype;
Humans;
Korea*;
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder*
- From:Korean Journal of Psychopharmacology
2006;17(2):197-202
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: Many researches strongly suggest that early- and late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) represent separate subtypes of the disorder, possibly with distinct underlying pathogeneses. The aim of this study was to determine the association between Val-158-Met Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) genotypes and the onset of OCD. METHOD: We recruited 124 OCD patients and classified them into an early-onset group (age of onset < or = 17 years) and a late onset-group (age of onset >17 years). From the blood, DNA was isolated using standard techniques and the COMT Val-158-Met polymorphism (H/H, H/L, and L/L) was genotyped. Each genotype consists of H (high activity) allele and L (low activity) allele. Genotype and allele frequencies of early-and late-onset OCD were analyzed by chi-square statistics. RESULTS: The frequencies of H/H genotype and H allele in early-onset OCD group were significantly higher than late-onset OCD group (p=0.037 ; p=0.014). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that COMT gene polymorphism might be an important factor in the onset of OCD.
