Abstract
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays a major role in the breakdown of catecholamines.1 An amino acid polymorphism (val-108-met) determines high and low activity of the enzyme.2,3 A recent study in a small sample of patients with velo-cardio-facial syndrome who had bipolar affective disorder suggested that the Met (low activity) COMT allele might be associated with rapid-cycling in this population.4 We therefore tested the hypothesis that the Met allele might be associated with rapid cycling bipolar disorder in the wider population. We studied a sample of British Caucasian DSM-IV bipolar patients, of whom 55 met criteria for rapid cycling at some time during the illness and 110 met stringent criteria for a definite non-rapid cycling course. The COMT genotype was determined using a PCR assay. The low activity allele was more frequent in the group of rapid cyclers: 0.55 vs 0.42 (one-tailed χ2 = 5.12, d.f. = 1, P = 0.012), and bearers of low activity alleles showed a dose-dependent increased risk of lifetime occurrence of rapid cycling: χ2 test of linear association = 4.84, d.f. = 1, P = 0.014. Our data support the hypothesis that variation in the COMT gene modifies the course of bipolar disorder.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kirov, G., Murphy, K., Arranz, M. et al. Low activity allele of catechol-O-methyltransferase gene associated with rapid cycling bipolar disorder. Mol Psychiatry 3, 342–345 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000385
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000385
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
A potential interaction between COMT and MTHFR genetic variants in Han Chinese patients with bipolar II disorder
Scientific Reports (2015)
-
Role of COMT in ADHD: a Systematic Meta-Analysis
Molecular Neurobiology (2014)
-
Sleep quality during euthymia in bipolar disorder: the role of clinical features, personality traits, and stressful life events
International Journal of Bipolar Disorders (2013)
-
Advances in molecular genetics of panic disorder
Molecular Psychiatry (2010)
-
Adolescent Cannabis Use, Psychosis and Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Genotype in African Americans and Caucasians
Psychiatric Quarterly (2009)