Topic
Catechol-O-methyl transferase
About: Catechol-O-methyl transferase is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1646 publications have been published within this topic receiving 87360 citations.
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TL;DR: These results shed new light onindividual differences in responsivity and connectivity between HF and VLPFC related to genetic modulation of dopamine, a mechanism accounting at least in part for individual differences in recognition memory performance.
174 citations
TL;DR: A sensitive simple radiometric method for the simultaneous measurement of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine is described and no cross-reactivity was noted for several compounds related to these catecholamines.
173 citations
TL;DR: The association of the frontal P300 amplitude with the G1947A COMT genotype further emphasizes the functional role of this SNP and suggests that the amount of noise in prefrontal neural networks during information processing might be in part under genetic control, which is mediated by dopamine.
173 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors employed two types of microdialysis to study these pathways using DAT, NET and MAO blockers in conscious mice, with or without Comt gene disruption.
Abstract: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays an active role in the metabolism of dopamine (DA) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Because of low levels of dopamine transporter (DAT), it is proposed that the majority of released DA is taken up by either norepinephrine transporter (NET) and subsequently metabolized by monoamine oxidize (MAO) or by uptake(2) (to glial cells and post-synaptic neurons) and metabolized by COMT. However, a comprehensive in vivo study of rating the mechanisms involved in DA clearance in the PFC has not been done. Here, we employ two types of microdialysis to study these pathways using DAT, NET and MAO blockers in conscious mice, with or without Comt gene disruption. In quantitative no-net-flux microdialysis, DA levels were increased by 60% in the PFC of COMT-knockout (ko) mice, but not in the striatum and nucleus accumbens. In conventional microdialysis studies, we showed that selective NET and MAO inhibition increased DA levels in the PFC of wild-type mice by two- to fourfold, an effect that was still doubled in COMT-ko mice. Inhibition of DAT had no effect on DA levels in either genotype. Therefore, we conclude that in the mouse, PFC COMT contributes about one half of the total DA clearance.
170 citations
TL;DR: The association between COMT and bipolar disorder was tested by examining the allele and haplotype found to be associated with schizophrenia and a significant association between bipolar disorder and COMT polymorphisms was found.
Abstract: A variety of psychiatric illnesses, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, have been reported in patients with microdeletion on chromosome 22q11-a region which includes the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene. The variety of psychiatric manifestations in patients with the 22q11 microdeletion and the role of COMT in the degradation of catecholamine neurotransmitters may thus suggest a general involvement of the COMT gene in psychiatric diseases. We have previously reported on a significant association between a COMT haplotype and schizophrenia. In this study, we attempt to test for association between bipolar disorder and the polymorphisms implicated in schizophrenia. The association between COMT and bipolar disorder was tested by examining the allele and haplotype found to be associated with schizophrenia. A significant association between bipolar disorder and COMT polymorphisms was found. The estimated relative risk is greater in women, a result consistent with our previous findings in schizophrenia. We suggest that polymorphisms in the COMT gene may influence susceptibility to both diseases--and probably also a wider range of behavioral traits.
170 citations