Executive attention in schizophrenic males and the impact of COMT Val108/158Met genotype on performance on the attention network test.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Executive control of attention in schizophrenia has recently been assessed by means of the Attention Network Test (ANT). In the past, for tasks assessing executive attention, findings in schizophrenia have been contradictory, among others suggesting a lack of increased stimulus interference effects. Attention and executive functioning are substantially influenced by candidate genes of schizophrenia, including the functional single-nucleotide polymorphism catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) Val108/158Met, with task-dependent, specific effects of Met allele load on cognitive function. Therefore, we aimed at investigating executive attention in schizophrenic patients (SZP) as compared with healthy controls (HC), and to assess the specific impact of COMT Val108/158Met on exe

SUBMITTER: Opgen-Rhein C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2632487 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature