Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Brain Imaging Behav. 2020 Dec;14(6):2762-2770. doi: 10.1007/s11682-019-00225-1.
Many studies have shown volumetric differences in the hippocampus between COMT gene polymorphisms and other studies have shown differences between depressed patients and controls; yet, few studies have been completed to identify the volumetric differences when taking both factors into consideration. Using voxel-based morphology (VBM) we investigated, in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and healthy controls, the relationship between COMT gene polymorphism and volumetric abnormalities. Data from 60 MDD patients and 25 healthy controls were included in this study. Volumetric measurements and genotyping of COMTval158met polymorphism were conducted to determine its impact on gray matter volume (GMV) in the hippocampus and amygdala using a Met dominant model (Val/Val vs Met/Val & Met/Met). In the analysis, a significant difference in the right hippocampus (p = 0.015), right amygdala (p = 0.003) and entire amygdala (p = 0.019) was found between the interaction of diagnosis and genotype after MRI scanner, age and sex correction. Healthy controls (HC) with the Met dominant genotype exhibited a larger right hippocampal, right amygdalar and entire amydgalar volume than MDD patients with the Met dominant genotype. Conversely, HC with the Val/Val genotype displayed a lower right hippocampal, right amygdalar and entire amygdalar volume than their MDD counterparts. This study shows that COMT polymorphism and depression may have a confounding effect on neuroimaging studies.
许多研究表明，COMT 基因多态性与海马体体积之间存在差异，而其他研究则表明抑郁症患者与对照组之间存在差异；然而，很少有研究完成来确定同时考虑这两个因素时的体积差异。本研究采用基于体素的形态学（VBM）方法，研究了重度抑郁症（MDD）患者和健康对照者中 COMT 基因多态性与体积异常之间的关系。本研究纳入了 60 名 MDD 患者和 25 名健康对照者的数据。进行体积测量和 COMTval158met 多态性基因分型，以确定其对海马体和杏仁核灰质体积（GMV）的影响，采用 Met 优势模型（Val/Val 比 Met/Val 和 Met/Met）。在分析中，在 MRI 扫描仪、年龄和性别校正后，诊断与基因型之间的相互作用在右侧海马体（p=0.015）、右侧杏仁核（p=0.003）和整个杏仁核（p=0.019）中存在显著差异。携带 Met 优势基因型的健康对照组（HC）的右侧海马体、右侧杏仁核和整个杏仁核体积大于携带 Met 优势基因型的 MDD 患者。相反，携带 Val/Val 基因型的 HC 其右侧海马体、右侧杏仁核和整个杏仁核体积低于其 MDD 对应物。本研究表明，COMT 多态性和抑郁可能对神经影像学研究有混杂影响。
