Association between the Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) Val¹??Met Polymorphism and Alexithymia in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

ABSTRACT: Alexithymia, defined as a deficit in the ability to recognize and describe one's own feelings, may be related to the development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val¹??Met polymorphism and alexithymia in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).We recruited 244 patients with OCD (169 males, 75 females). Alexithymia was assessed using the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and genotyping of the COMT Val¹??Met polymorphism was evaluated.Patients with the COMT Val/Val genotype had significantly higher total and "difficulty identifying feelings" (DIF) subdimension scores than those with the Val/Met or Met/Met genotypes. Patients with the COMT Val/Val genotype had significantly higher "difficulty describing feelings" (DDF) subdimension scores than those with the COMT Val/Met genotype. However, there were no differences in the scores for the "externally oriented thinking" (EOT) subdimension among the three genotypes.These results indicate that the high-activity Val allele of the COMT Val¹??Met polymorphism is associated with increased alexithymic traits in patients with OCD. The present finding suggests that alexithymia is an endophenotype of OCD that is mediated by the COMT Val¹??Met polymorphism.

SUBMITTER: Koh MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4800363 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature