Val158Met polymorphisms of COMT gene and serum concentrations of catecholaminergic neurotransmitters of ADHD in Chinese children and adolescents

Abstract

This study analyzed the Val158Met polymorphisms of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene and serum concentrations of catecholaminergic neurotransmitters in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children and adolescents. All the subjects (180 paired ADHD and non-ADHD children and adolescents) were genotyped for the Val158Met polymorphisms of the COMT gene, and determined by the difference of dopamine and noradrenalin from a 1:1 paired case–control study. The frequencies of methionine (A)/A, valine (G)/A, and G/G were 51.67%, 41.11%, and 7.22% in the case group, and 62.22%, 31.11%, and 6.67% in the control group. There was a significant difference in the distribution of all genotypes of the COMT gene between the 2 groups (odds ratio = 1.85, 95% confidence interval: 1.62–2.08; χ 2 = 7.80, P < .05). The serum concentrations of dopamine and noradrenalin were 1.42 ± 0.34 ng/mL and 177.70 ± 37.92 pg/mL in the case group, and 1.94 ± 0.42 ng/mL and 206.20 ± 42.45 pg/mL in the control group. There were the significant differences in the levels of dopamine and noradrenalin between the 2 groups (dopamine: t = 4.30, P < .01; noradrenalin: t = 2.24, P < .05). Our study suggested that the Val158Met polymorphisms of the COMT gene and serum concentrations of catecholaminergic neurotransmitters were associated with ADHD children and adolescents.

Long Mu Qing Xin mixture improves behavioral performance in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR/NCrl) by upregulating catecholamine neurotransmitters in prefrontal cortex and striatum via DRD1/cAMP/PKA-CREB signaling pathway

“…The hydroxylation of DA is instrumental in the generation of NE, and both neurotransmitters play a pivotal role in executive function through their neuromodulatory impact on the frontal-striato-cerebellar circuits ( Del Campo et al, 2011 ). Lower concentrations of DA and NE have been detected in the serum of children with ADHD, which may indirectly mirror a disrupted state of central catecholaminergic neurotransmission ( Xiong et al, 2021 ). Rectifying this aberrant catecholaminergic neurotransmission stands as a critical objective in the treatment of ADHD.…”