COMT val158met polymorphism links to altered fear conditioning and extinction are modulated by PTSD and childhood trauma.
Depress Anxiety
; 35(1): 32-42, 2018 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28833952
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is thought to be mediated by gene × environment (G × E) interactions that affect core cognitive processes such as fear learning. The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) val158met polymorphism has been associated with risk for PTSD and impaired fear inhibition. We used a large, relatively homogenous population to (1) replicate previous findings of poor fear inhibition in COMT Met/Met carriers with PTSD; (2) determine if COMT association with fear inhibition is moderated by childhood trauma (CT), an environmental risk factor for PTSD; and (3) determine if COMT is associated with altered fear processes after recent exposure to combat trauma.METHODS:
Male Marines and Navy Corpsmen of European-American ancestry were assessed prior to (n = 714) and 4-6 months after deployment to Afghanistan (n = 452). Acquisition and extinction of fear-potentiated startle, childhood and combat trauma history, and PTSD diagnosis were assessed at both time points.RESULTS:
Before deployment, Met/Met genotype was associated with fear inhibition deficits in participants with current PTSD; however, this association was dependent on CT exposure. After deployment, combat trauma was associated with a modest reduction in fear extinction in Met/Met compared with Val/Val carriers. There were no associations of COMT genotype with fear extinction within healthy and non-traumatized individuals.CONCLUSIONS:
These findings support the hypothesis that G × E interactions underlie associations of COMT val158met with fear inhibition deficits. These studies confirm that Met/Met carriers with PTSD have poor fear inhibition, and support further research in understanding how this polymorphism might impact response to extinction-based therapies.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Trastornos por Estrés Postraumático
/
Catecol O-Metiltransferasa
/
Condicionamiento Psicológico
/
Extinción Psicológica
/
Miedo
/
Interacción Gen-Ambiente
/
Adultos Sobrevivientes de Eventos Adversos Infantiles
Tipo de estudio:
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Depress Anxiety
Asunto de la revista:
PSIQUIATRIA
Año:
2018
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos