Search

Objective: Catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an enzyme that inactivates catecholamines. Two common COMT alleles determine high and low activity of the enzyme. Previous studies using biochemical methods found lower enzyme activity in patients with major depression and bipolar disorder in comparison with control values, suggesting that a dysfunction in catecholamine metabolism may be related to the etiology of depression. Method: The authors studied two recently described DNA polymorphisms at the COMT gene (a silent C256G mutation and a structural mutation, Val-108-Met) in 88 patients with bipolar disorder and in 113 healthy comparison subjects, all of Spanish origin. Results: The frequency of the C256 allele was 0.58 in the patients and 0.54 in the comparison subjects. The frequency of the Val108 variant was 0.57 for both the patients and the comparison subjects. No allelic or genotypic associations were observed. Conclusions: The lack of association suggests that the COMT gene is not a major risk factor for bipolar disorder.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the subjective quality of life of chronic schizophrenic outpatients living in an urban site in Catalonia (Spain) during a stable phase of the illness. We included 44 patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of psychotic disorder. Sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment variables were obtained and compared with the subjective quality of life as assessed by the Lehman Quality of Life Interview-short version. The descriptive analysis of the subjective quality of life profile obtained in our sample shows moderate levels of satisfaction in most subscales. Results regarding comparisons showed that sociodemographic, clinical, premorbid adjustment and treatment variables were only related to subjective quality of life in particular life domains and in a nonconclusive way. The need to include other relevant variables such as insight or psychological traits in the study of the quality of life phenomenon in schizophrenia is highlighted.

Abstract: Abnormalities of the serotonergic system have classically been associated with the origin of affective disorders through the biochemical action of therapeutic agents and their role in affective and perceptual states. In the present study, we hypothesized that genetic variation in the 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) type 2A (5-HT2A ) receptor gene (HTR2A) might have an effect on the aetiology of bipolar affective disorder. Four different polymorphisms in the HTR2A gene were studied in 88 patients with bipolar affective disorder and 113 healthy controls, all of Spanish origin. No significant association was observed between any of the four polymorphisms at the HTR2A locus, whether tested individually or as haplotypes, and bipolar affective disorder. The lack of association suggests that HTR2A is not a major risk factor for bipolar affective disorder.