PLoS ONE (Jan 2015)

Genetic Variation in the Catechol-O-Methyl Transferase Val108/158Met Is Linked to the Caudate and Posterior Cingulate Cortex Volume in Healthy Subjects: Voxel-Based Morphometry Analysis of Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

  • Keita Watanabe,
  • Shingo Kakeda,
  • Reiji Yoshimura,
  • Satoru Ide,
  • Kenji Hayashi,
  • Asuka Katsuki,
  • Wakako Umene-Nakano,
  • Rieko Watanabe,
  • Osamu Abe,
  • Yukunori Korogi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0142862
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 11
p. e0142862

Abstract

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The effect of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism on brain morphology has been investigated but remains controversial. We hypothesized that a comparison between Val/Val and Val/Met individuals, which may represent the most different combinations concerning the effects of the COMT genotype, may reveal new findings. We investigated the brain morphology using 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging in 27 Val/Val and 22 Val/Met individuals. Voxel-based morphometry revealed that the volumes of the bilateral caudate and posterior cingulate cortex were significantly smaller in Val/Val individuals than in Val/Met individuals [right caudate: false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected p = 0.048; left caudate: FDR-corrected p = 0.048; and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex: FDR-corrected p = 0.048]. This study demonstrates that interacting functional variants of COMT affect gray matter regional volumes in healthy subjects.