ARTICLE
An associations study of the Dopamine Transporter (DAT) gene and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene in anorexia nervosa in the Polish population
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Arch Psych Psych 2005;7(3):5-11
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ABSTRACT
Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a common, severe psychiatric disorder that affects 1%-2% of the young female population. AN is characterised by profound weight loss and body image disturbances. Twin and family studies have suggested the role of a genetic component in the etiology of AN, although the exact mechanism of inheritance is unknown. Recent data suggest contribution of dopaminergic neuronal pathway disturbances in the pathogenesis of AN. Material and method: We investigated the polymorphism of two genes: substitution Val108(158) Met of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene and DAT 3'UTR VNTR gene with 40bp fragment repeated 3-11 times. The group of 91 AN probands and 135 controls was studied. Results: We have not found an association between AN and COMT polymorphism (genotypes: Met/Met, Met/Val, Val/Val; p=0.08) and between AN and DAT polymorphism (p=0.44). Conclusion: The analyzed COMT and DAT polymorphisms do not seem to play a role in the pathogenesis of AN in Polish population.