The COMT gene variant is associated with depression's decreased positive affect symptoms in Chinese adults.

This study examined the association between the COMT Val(158) Met genotype and depression symptoms. A total of 326 Chinese adults who experienced the deadly 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and lost children during the disaster participated in this study. Depression symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was successfully genotyped using the MassARRAY system. Results indicated that although the Val(158) Met genotype was not associated with total depression symptoms, it was significantly correlated with decreased positive affect symptoms of depression in males. The findings indicated that COMT may play an important functional role in the development of depression, and contribute to the extant knowledge of the genetic basis and sex-specific expression of symptoms in depression.