Effect of the catechol-O-methyltransferase Val 158 Met polymorphism on theory of mind in obesity.

ABSTRACT

Obesity is often accompanied with psychosocial adjustment problems, such as difficulties in social interactions and social withdrawal. A key aspect of social cognition is theory of mind, which allows inferring mental states, feelings, motivations, and beliefs of others and to use this information to predict their future behaviour. Theory of mind is highly dependent on prefrontal dopaminergic neurotransmission, which is regulated by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity. We aimed at determining whether theory of mind is altered in obesity and if this ability is modulated by COMT. Fifty patients with obesity and 47 normal-weight individuals underwent the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and the Vocabulary subscale of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. The genotype for the COMT Val 158 Met functional polymorphism was determined for all subjects. Patients with obesity obtained significantly lower scores in the negative items of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test than normal-weight subjects. Further, an interaction effect was observed between group and COMT genotype. Specifically, the presence of the Met allele was associated to a better identification of negative mental states only in patients with obesity. Our results indicate that obesity is accompanied with difficulties in theory of mind and that this ability is influenced by the COMT genotype.