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. 2024;83(1):41-48.
doi: 10.1159/000535912. Epub 2024 Jan 16.

To Each His Own Fear: Gender-Related Association of Anxiety, Substance Use, and Eating Disorders in a Representative Birth Cohort Sample of Young Adults with Either COMT Val158Met allele

Evelyn Kiive  1 , Triin Kurrikoff  2 , Toomas Veidebaum  3 , Jaanus Harro  2
Affiliations

To Each His Own Fear: Gender-Related Association of Anxiety, Substance Use, and Eating Disorders in a Representative Birth Cohort Sample of Young Adults with Either COMT Val158Met allele

Evelyn Kiive et al. Neuropsychobiology. 2024.

Abstract

Introduction: The role of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) in catecholamine neurotransmitter metabolism has led to the investigation of variants of the corresponding gene in the etiology of different psychiatric disorders, but the results are inconclusive.

Methods: We have examined the relationship between COMT Val158Met single nucleotide polymorphism (rs4680) and the occurrence of psychiatric disorders in a highly representative birth cohort sample of young adults in the Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study (original n = 1,238). The lifetime occurrence of psychiatric disorders at the age of 25 years was assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview.

Results: Both Val- and Met-alleles of the COMT Val158Met were associated with specific psychiatric disorders. Met-allele carriers had a significantly higher occurrence of agoraphobia (3.2% vs. 0.5%; χ2 = 4.10; p < 0.05) compared to Val/Val homozygotes. Also, the occurrence of panic disorder was significantly higher in female Met-allele carriers than in Val/Val homozygote females (10.2% vs. 3.6%; χ2 = 4.62 p = 0.03). In contrast, the occurrence of generalized anxiety disorder was higher in Val/Val females when compared to Met-allele carriers (12.7% vs. 6.8%; χ2 = 4.16; p = 0.04). Also, female Val/Val homozygotes (15.5%) had a higher occurrence of eating disorders than Met-allele carriers (6.1%) of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism (χ2 = 10.39; p = 0.002). In the whole sample, Met-allele homozygotes had a higher occurrence of alcohol use and substance use disorders than Val-allele carriers (χ2 = 3.62 and 3.68, respectively; p < 0.05).

Conclusion: In a regional highly birth cohort representative sample, either COMT rs4680 variant was observed in association with specific psychiatric disorders.

Keywords: Anxiety disorders; COMT Val158Met polymorphism; Catechol-O-methyltransferase; Eating disorders; Substance use disorders.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Estonian Research Council (PRG1213).