COMT$val^{158}met$Genotype Affects$\mu -Opioid$Neurotransmitter Responses to a Pain Stressor

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 299; no. 5610; pp. 1240 - 1243
• Main Authors: Zubieta, Jon-Kar, Heitzeg, Mary M., Smith, Yolanda R., Bueller, Joshua A., Xu, Ke, Xu, Yanjun, Koeppe, Robert A., Stohler, Christian S., Goldman, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington American Association for the Advancement of Science 21.02.2003; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Amygdala; Behavioral neuroscience; Brain; Coordinate systems; Etiology; Feedback (Response); Genes; Genetics; Genotypes; Individual Differences; Neurotransmission; Neurotransmitters; Nucleus accumbens; Pain; Pulvinar; Receptors; Stimuli; Thalamus
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1078546

Responses to pain and other Stressors are regulated by interactions between multiple brain areas and neurochemical systems. We examined the influence of a common functional genetic polymorphism affecting the metabolism of catecholamines on the modulation of responses to sustained pain in humans. Individuals homozygous for the$met^{158}$allele of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphism ($val^{158}met$) showed diminished regional$\mu -opioid$system responses to pain compared with heterozygotes. These effects were accompanied by higher sensory and affective ratings of pain and a more negative internal affective state. Opposite effects were observed in$val^{158}$homozygotes. The COMT$val^{158}met$polymorphism thus influences the human experience of pain and may underlie interindividual differences in the adaptation and responses to pain and other stressful stimuli.