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Cited by 412Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorSchizophrenia research and treatmentGenetic Associations and Epidemiology

Meta-analysis of the cognitive effects of the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene Val158/108Met polymorphism

Barnett, Jennifer H., Scoriels, Linda, Munafò, Marcus R.·2008·Biological Psychiatry
DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.01.005
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Abstract

Background Cognitive endophenotypes may further our understanding of the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders, and the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is a promising candidate gene for both cognitive function and disorder. We conducted a meta-analysis of reported associations between the COMT Val158/108Met polymorphism and measures of memory and executive function.Methods The PubMed database was searched for studies relating cognitive functions and the COMT Val158/108Met polymorphism. This enabled meta-analyses of six cognitive phenotypes (Trail Making task, verbal recall, verbal fluency, IQ score, n-back task, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Data were extracted by two reviewers and included cognitive scores by COMT genotype, publication year, diagnostic status, ancestry, proportion of male participants, and whether genotype frequencies were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.Results We found no association between COMT genotype and the majority of phenotypes. There was evidence of association with IQ score (d = .06), which did not differ significantly by ancestry, sex, average sample age, or patient status. For the n-back task, there was no robust evidence for genetic association, but the effect size was significantly larger in patient (d = .40) than nonpatient (d = -.27) populations, larger in both samples with fewer male subjects, and those of greater average age. There was also evidence of publication bias and decreasing effect sizes with later publication.Conclusions Despite initially promising results, the COMT Val158/108Met polymorphism appears to have little if any association with cognitive function. Publication bias may hamper attempts to understand the genetic basis of psychological functions and psychiatric disorders.

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  • The Met allele is associated with better working memory performance in healthy individuals.

    “Better working memory (WM) performance (e.g. in N-back tasks), fewer perseverative errors, and higher IQ tend to be associated with the Met allele in healthy individuals (9-11), although some studies have failed to replicate these effects (see 10).”

    From Influence of the COMT genotype on working memory and brain activity changes during development (2011) · cites this paper as [10]

  • The Met allele is associated with higher IQ in healthy individuals.

    “Better working memory (WM) performance (e.g. in N-back tasks), fewer perseverative errors, and higher IQ tend to be associated with the Met allele in healthy individuals (9-11), although some studies have failed to replicate these effects (see 10).”

    From Influence of the COMT genotype on working memory and brain activity changes during development (2011) · cites this paper as [10]

  • The Met allele is associated with fewer perseverative errors in healthy individuals.

    “Better working memory (WM) performance (e.g. in N-back tasks), fewer perseverative errors, and higher IQ tend to be associated with the Met allele in healthy individuals (9-11), although some studies have failed to replicate these effects (see 10).”

    From Influence of the COMT genotype on working memory and brain activity changes during development (2011) · cites this paper as [10]

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Authors
Barnett, J. H., Scoriels, L., & Munafò, M. R.
Affiliations
University of Cambridge (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-07
Volume
64
Issue
2
Pages
137-144
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.01.005
OpenAlex
W2133169656
Cited by
412
References
90
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 51 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 32 · 2013: 35 · 2012: 47
FWCI
3.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
Keywords
catechol-O-methyltransferase, cognitive function, executive function, memory, IQ, n-back task, Trail Making Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, verbal fluency, word recall, publication bias, genetic association, mental illness, endophenotypes
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Alleles, Catechol O-Methyltransferase, Cognition Disorders, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Male, Memory Disorders, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Phenotype, Polymorphism, Genetic, Problem Solving, Sex Factors

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