Effect of COMT val(158)met genotype on

cognition and personality

The gene encoding catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme which regulates

prefrontal cortex dopamine, contains a common functional single nucleotide polymorphism
(val158met, rs4680G/A), which accounts for part of the interindividual variance in performance
during working memory tasks and also predicts personality traits. We examined the relationship
between the val158met polymorphism and cognitive function as well as personality traits in 522
healthy individuals (mean age: 24.75 years, SD=5.84, mean years of education: 15.59,
SD=2.65). COMT val158met genotype was related in allele dosage fashion to performance in an
executive function test, with the met/met carriers scoring highest. Subjects carrying the met/met
genotype also scored higher in the disorganization domain of the SPQ-B personality inventory.
Consistent with evidence from previous studies, higher dopamine availability of the met/met
genotype enhances prefrontally mediated executive function in healthy individuals. Furthermore,
we replicated findings from a recent study whereby the COMT genotype also predicts
disorganized personality features.

effect of COMT Val158Met polymorphism

on personality traits and educational
attainment in a longitudinal population
representative study
Show more authors
Abstract
The COMT Val158Met polymorphism has been associated with anxiety and affective
disorders, but its effect on anxiety-related personality traits varies between studies.
Our purpose was to investigate the effect of COMT Val158Met on personality traits
from adolescence to young adulthood in a population representative Caucasian birth
cohort. Also its association with educational attainment and anxiety and mood
disorders by the age 25 were examined. This analysis is based on the older cohort of
the Estonian Children Personality Behavior and Health Study (original number of
subjects 593). The personality traits were assessed when the participants were 15,
18 and 25 years old. COMT Val158Met had an effect on Neuroticism in females by
age 25 (p=0.001, Bonferroni-corrected for five traits), whereas female Val
homozygotes scored the highest. In addition, the Conscientiousness scores of
subjects with Val/Val genotype were decreasing in time, being the lowest by the age
25 (p=0.006, Bonferroni-corrected for five traits). By the age 25, males with the
Val/Met genotype had mainly secondary or vocational education, whereas female
 heterozygotes mostly had obtained or were obtaining university education. COMT
Val158Met was not associated with anxiety or mood disorders in either gender.
These results suggest that genes affecting dopamine system are involved in the
development of personality traits and contribute to educational attainment.
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Citations (9)
References (67)
 ... We have previously reported that the COMT Val108/158Met geno- type was
associated with educational attainment in a population repre- sentative sample of
young adults, while this association was strongly dependent on gender (Lehto,
Akkermann, Parik, Veidebaum, & Harro, 2013). Herewith we have addressed the
question of whether or not the dopamine-related COMT Val108/158Met genotype is
associated with enterprising occupations in middle-age population. ...
... COMT Val108/158Met genotyping was carried out as previously de- scribed
( Lehto et al., 2013). All participants who provided a DNA sample (mothers, n = 829,
fathers, n = 572) were successfully genotyped, and genotypes were in the Hardy-
Weinberg equilibrium. ...
... We had previously reported that in the older birth cohort of the ECPBHS the
COMT Val108/158Met genotype was associated with neu- roticism in a gender-
dependent manner, the Val/Val homozygous fe- males developing higher
neuroticism by young adulthood ( Lehto et al., 2013). It is conceivable that people
select jobs appropriate for their personalities (Kristof, 1996), and entrepreneurship is
a more appropri- ate occupation for some personalities than for others (Baron &
Markman, 2004;Zhao, Seibert, & Lumpkin, 2010). ...
Association of the COMT Val108/158Met genotype with professional career and
education: The Val-allele is more frequent in managers and in enterprising occupations
Article

o Jan 2018
o PERS INDIV DIFFER
o

Triin Kurrikoff

o Katrin Kaarma
o Liina-Mai Tooding
o
 Jaanus Harro

View
Show abstract

 ... A population based study found that Met-allele carriers with childhood family-re-
lated adversities were more likely to have clinical depressive symptoms ( Aberg et
al., 2011). On the other hand, in a prospective longitudinal study neuroticism (a
personality trait that highly correlates with depression) significantly increased from
adolescence to adulthood in female Val homozygotes, but not in Met-allele carriers
( Lehto et al., 2013). These results suggest that life course trajectories of affective
symptoms can be modified by the COMT polymorphisms; however, results are
inconsistent. ...

Catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) functional haplotype is associated with

recurrence of affective symptoms: A prospective birth cohort study
Article
Full-text available

o Jan 2018
o J AFFECT DISORDERS
o Shinsuke Koike
o

Darya Gaysina

Peter B Jones

o
 Marcus Richards

View
Show abstract

 ... The sample consisted of the older cohort of the European Youth Heart Study, a
population based study conducted in Estonia in 1998/ 99, which was incorporated
into the longitudinal Estonian Children Personality Behavior and Health Study
(ECPBCS). It is an ethnically homogeneous sample of Caucasian subjects and the
rationale and procedure of sample formation has previously been described (Harro
et al., 2001; Lehto et al., 2013). Personality data used in the present analysis were
collected during the first, second and third study wave in 1998, 2001 and 2008,
respectively. ...

BDNF Val66Met genotype and neuroticism predict life stress: A longitudinal study
from childhood to adulthood
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o Dec 2015
o

Kelli Lehto

Mäestu Jarek

Evelyn Kiive

o
 Jaanus Harro

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 ... Interindividual differences in adult cognitive abilities are highly influenced by

genetic background [19,21]. However, environmental influences and gene-
environment interactions have also been suggested to play an important role in
shaping cognition [30,38,47,62]. Of note, the popular concept of cognitive plasticity
refers to changes in cognitive performance in response to experience, rising from
either structured education/training or other environmental factors [31,44]. ...

Polymorphic variation in the epigenetic gene DNMT3B modulates the environmental

impact on cognitive ability: A twin study
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o Dec 2014
o EUR PSYCHIAT
o Aldo Córdova-Palomera
o

Mar Fatjó-Vilas

Oussama Kebir

o
 Lourdes Fañanás

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 Отражение сочетания генотипов по полиморфным локусам COMT Val158Met и

MAOA -uVNTR в психологических особенностях девушек

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Ekaterina Kovsh

o Ирина Анатольевна Скиртач

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 Updating schematic emotional facial expressions in working memory: Response bias

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Kairi Kreegipuu

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Nelson Cowan

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 The COMT val158met polymorphism in ultra-endurance athletes

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o

Dan J. Stein

Laurie Rauch

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 A Genetic Variant (COMT) Coding Dopaminergic Activity Predicts Personality Traits

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 Personality traits in patients with restless legs syndrome

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Association of the functional catechol-O-

methyltransferase VAL158MET polymorphism with the
personality trait of extraversion.
Reuter M1, Hennig J.
Author information
Abstract
Across different personality theories, there is agreement that dopamine is the neurochemical
basis of extraversion. However, evidence from molecular genetics for the validity of this
hypothesis is far from convincing. The functional polymorphism of the catechol-O-
methyltransferase gene (COMT VAL158MET) has not been related to extraversion before,
although it is a promising candidate gene locus for extraversion because of its great influence on
the catabolism of dopamine. In a sample of n=363 healthy study participants, the catechol-O-
methyltransferase VAL158MET polymorphism was related to extraversion and novelty
seeking.Results showed a significant association between catechol-O-methyltransferase,
extraversion and the subscale exploratory excitement (NS1) of novelty seeking but not with the
total novelty-seeking scale supporting the psychometric analyses of the personality scales. The
findings support the hypothesis that the dopamine system is involved in positive emotionality and
incentive motivation, which has implications for the understanding of the neurochemical
correlates of normal and psychopathological behaviors.

PMID:

15973162

Association of the functional catechol-O-

methyltransferase VAL158MET polymorphism with the
personality trait of extraversion.
Reuter M1, Hennig J.
Author information
Abstract
Across different personality theories, there is agreement that dopamine is the neurochemical
basis of extraversion. However, evidence from molecular genetics for the validity of this
hypothesis is far from convincing. The functional polymorphism of the catechol-O-
methyltransferase gene (COMT VAL158MET) has not been related to extraversion before,
although it is a promising candidate gene locus for extraversion because of its great influence on
the catabolism of dopamine. In a sample of n=363 healthy study participants, the catechol-O-
methyltransferase VAL158MET polymorphism was related to extraversion and novelty
seeking.Results showed a significant association between catechol-O-methyltransferase,
extraversion and the subscale exploratory excitement (NS1) of novelty seeking but not with the
total novelty-seeking scale supporting the psychometric analyses of the personality scales. The
findings support the hypothesis that the dopamine system is involved in positive emotionality and
incentive motivation, which has implications for the understanding of the neurochemical
correlates of normal and psychopathological behaviors.
PMID:

15973162