TY - JOUR
T1 - Catechol-o-Methyltransferase, Cognition, and Psychosis
T2 - Val158Met and Beyond
AU - Tunbridge, Elizabeth M.
AU - Harrison, Paul J.
AU - Weinberger, Daniel R.
N1 - Funding Information:
EMT is supported by a National Institute of Mental Health Advanced Scholarship through the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch of the Intramural Research Program and a Medical Research Council Pathfinder grant. Work in PJH’s laboratory is supported by the Medical Research Council and the Stanley Medical Research Institute. DRW is supported by the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program. The authors are grateful to S. Huffaker for his comments on the manuscript.
PY - 2006/7/15
Y1 - 2006/7/15
N2 - This review summarizes our current understanding of catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) and how it relates to brain function and schizophrenia. We begin by considering the COMT gene, its transcripts and proteins, and its relevance for central catecholamine function. We then describe how variation in COMT activity affects the function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and associated areas, reviewing evidence that COMT modulates executive function and working memory and highlighting recent data that also implicate it in emotional processing. Finally, we discuss briefly the genetic association between COMT and schizophrenia, focusing in particular on the complex interaction of functional loci within the gene that may underlie the mixed results of studies to date. We conclude by outlining preliminary data indicating that COMT is a promising therapeutic target for ameliorating the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia.
AB - This review summarizes our current understanding of catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) and how it relates to brain function and schizophrenia. We begin by considering the COMT gene, its transcripts and proteins, and its relevance for central catecholamine function. We then describe how variation in COMT activity affects the function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and associated areas, reviewing evidence that COMT modulates executive function and working memory and highlighting recent data that also implicate it in emotional processing. Finally, we discuss briefly the genetic association between COMT and schizophrenia, focusing in particular on the complex interaction of functional loci within the gene that may underlie the mixed results of studies to date. We conclude by outlining preliminary data indicating that COMT is a promising therapeutic target for ameliorating the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia.
KW - Catecholamine
KW - dopamine
KW - prefrontal cortex
KW - schizophrenia
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U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.10.024
DO - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.10.024
M3 - Review article
C2 - 16476412
AN - SCOPUS:33745703902
SN - 0006-3223
VL - 60
SP - 141
EP - 151
JO - Biological psychiatry
JF - Biological psychiatry
IS - 2
ER -