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This study could not confirm the association between the Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism (COMT) and electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha peak frequency (APF) in two independent cohorts of 187 (96 depressed and 91 healthy participants) and 413 healthy participants. If COMT and APF play a role in depression or antidepressant treatment response, they do not have a shared pathway. We emphasize the importance of publishing null-findings for obtaining more accurate overall estimates of genetic effects., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Major depressive disorder has a large impact on patients and society and is projected to be the second greatest global burden of disease by 2020. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene is considered to be one of the important factors in the etiology of major depressive disorder. In a recent study, alpha power was found to mediate between BDNF Met and subclinical depressed mood. The current study looked at a population of patients with major depressive disorder (N = 107) to examine the association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism, resting state EEG alpha power, and depression severity. For this purpose, repeated-measures analysis of variance, partial correlation, and multiple linear models were used. Results indicated a negative association between parietal-occipital alpha power in the eyes open resting state and depression severity. In addition, Met/Met patients showed lower global absolute alpha power in the eyes closed condition compared with Val-carriers. These findings are in accordance with the previously uncovered pathway between BDNF Val66Met, resting state EEG alpha power, and depression severity. Additional research is needed for the clarification of this tentative pathway and its implication in personalized treatment of major depressive disorder.

Objective: The amplitude and latency of the P300 may be associated by variations in dopaminergic genes. The current study was conducted to determine whether functional variants of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene were associated with P300 amplitude and latency in an auditory oddball task., Methods: The P300 ERP was assessed by a two-tone auditory oddball paradigm in a large sample of 320 healthy volunteers. The Val108/158Met polymorphism (rs4680) of the COMT gene and the -1021C>T polymorphism (rs1611115) of the DBH gene were genotyped. P300 amplitude and latency were compared across genotype groups using analysis of variance., Results: There were no differences in demographic characteristics in subjects for genotypic subgroups. No genotype associations were observed for the P300 amplitude and latency on frontal, central and parietal electrode positions., Conclusions: COMT Val108/158Met and DBH -1021C>T polymorphisms do not show evidence of association with characteristics of the P300 ERP in an auditory oddball paradigm in healthy volunteers., Significance: We failed to find evidence for the association between dopaminergic enzymatic polymorphisms and the P300 ERP in healthy volunteers, in the largest study undertaken to date., (Copyright © 2012 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A 43-year-old woman suffered severe weight loss due to unexplained vomiting. No physical cause was detected. She was treated with hypnotherapy, cognitive therapy and a gradual increase in food with the help of a dietician. The vomiting stopped and the patient was able to eat again. For patients with unexplained physical symptoms, it is often difficult to understand that a psychological component is involved. This psychological component should not be emphasized. It is more important to tell the patient that there is no explanation for their problem, but that there is a possible treatment: psychotherapy.