Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume 49, Issue 8 , Pages 841-849, August 2010

COMT Val158Met Genotype as a Risk Factor for Problem Behaviors in Youth

  • Matthew D. Albaugh, B.A.

      Affiliations

    • Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine
    • ,
  • Valerie S. Harder, M.H.S., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine
    • ,
  • Robert R. Althoff, M.D., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine
    • ,
  • David C. Rettew, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine
    • ,
  • Erik A. Ehli, R.N., M.S.

      Affiliations

    • Avera Institute for Human Behavioral Genetics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
    • ,
  • Timea Lengyel-Nelson, M.S.

      Affiliations

    • Avera Institute for Human Behavioral Genetics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
    • ,
  • Gareth E. Davies, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Avera Institute for Human Behavioral Genetics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
    • ,
  • Lynsay Ayer, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine
    • ,
  • Julie Sulman, B.A.

      Affiliations

    • Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine
    • ,
  • Catherine Stanger, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Center for Addiction Research at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
    • ,
  • James J. Hudziak, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and ErasmusMC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to Dr. James J. Hudziak, The Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families, University of Vermont College of Medicine, University Health Center campus, 1 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT 05401

Accepted 27 May 2010. published online 01 July 2010.

Objective

To test the association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism and both aggressive behavior and attention problems in youth. We hypothesized that youth carrying a Met allele would have greater average aggressive behavior scores, and that youth exhibiting Val-homozygosity would have greater average attention problems scores.

Method

Complete data on maternally rated Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) measures of aggressive behavior (AGG) and attention problems (AP), COMT polymorphism data, demographics, and maternal parenting quality were available for 149 youth (6 to 18 years old). Multivariable linear regression models were used to test the degree to which youth COMT Val158Met genotype was associated with AGG and AP while statistically controlling for age, gender, parental socioeconomic status (SES), and maternal parenting quality from the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire.

Results

Mothers of Met-carriers rated their children higher on average AGG scores when compared with mothers of Val-homozygotes (p = .016). Further analyses revealed that this association was even more robust for maternal ratings of direct aggression (p = .007). The hypothesized association between Val-homozygosity and higher average AP scores relative to average AP scores of Met-carriers did not quite reach statistical significance (p = .062).

Conclusions

After controlling for demographics, SES, and maternal parenting quality as confounders, there remains a strong association between youth carrying a Met allele and higher average AGG scores relative to Val-homozygotes.

Key Words: youth, COMT, aggressive behavior, attention problems, parenting quality

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 This article is discussed in an editorial by Drs. James J. Hudziak and Stephen V. Faraone on page 729.

 This article was reviewed under and accepted by Ad Hoc Editor James F. Leckman, M.D.

 The corresponding author gratefully acknowledges support from the National Institutes of Health (Grant MH01265).

 This is one of several articles published in the August and September issues of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that explores the intersection of genetics and mental health disorders in children and adolescents. The editors invite the reader to investigate the additional articles on this burgeoning area of developmental psychopathology.

 Disclosure: Drs. Harder, Althoff, Rettew, Davies, Stanger, and Hudziak, and Mr. Albaugh, Mr. Ehli, Ms. Lengyel-Nelson, Ms. Ayer, and Ms. Sulman report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

PII: S0890-8567(10)00425-9

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.015

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume 49, Issue 8 , Pages 841-849, August 2010

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