Longitudinal Assessment of MAO-, COMT-, and DBHActivity in Patients with Bipolar Depression

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine whether the activity of regulatory enzymes for biogenic amines are state variables or trait variables for bipolar depression. The activity of MAO, COMT, and DBH in platelets, RBC and serum, respectively, was measured repeatedly in patients with bipolar depression and in matched control subjects. An increase in MAO activity was observed in patients compared to controls, while MAO activity was unrelated to the patient’s psychopathological state. COMT activity was higher in female patients than in female controls and was lower in male patients than in male controls, but it failed to be related to the psychopathological state of patients. Relevant differences in serum DBH activity failed to occur either between patients and controls, or in patients during different states of their illness. The findings suggest that the activity of MAO and COMT are trait variables for bipolar depression, while DBH activity is neither a state variable nor a trait variable. It is discussed why only longitudinal studies in contrast to conventional cross-sectional assessments allow a distinction between state and trait variables.

Frontal bone defect repair with experimental glass‐fiber‐reinforced composite with bioactive glass granule coating

“…The Met variant of the enzyme has activity fourfold lower compared to the Val variant. Variants of the COMT gene have been associated in some, but not all, studies with schizophrenia [e.g., Matthysse and Baldessarini, 1972; Egan et al, 2001], panic disorder [e.g., Hamilton et al, 2002; Woo et al, 2004], major depression and bipolar disorders [e.g., Fahndrich et al, 1982; Massat et al, 2005], obsessive compulsive disorder [e.g., Karayiorgou et al, 1997, 1999; Niehaus et al, 2001], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [e.g., Eisenberg et al, 1999], and efficacy of response to L ‐Dopa in the treatment of Parkinson's disease [e.g., Reilly et al, 1980; Rivera‐Calimlim and Reilly, 1984; Bialecka et al, 2004]. Recent studies have also found association of COMT gene variants with differences in higher order functioning, including memory and specific cognitive tasks in patients with schizophrenia, other psychiatric disorders, brain injury, as well as in normal control subjects [Diamond et al, 2004; Goldberg and Weinberger, 2004; Weickert et al, 2004; de Frias et al, 2005; Lipsky et al, 2005; Reuter et al, 2005; Bertolino et al, 2006].…”

Catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) gene variants: Possible association of the Val158Met variant with opiate addiction in hispanic women

“…The Met variant of the enzyme has activity fourfold lower compared to the Val variant. Variants of the COMT gene have been associated in some, but not all, studies with schizophrenia [e.g., Matthysse and Baldessarini, 1972; Egan et al, 2001], panic disorder [e.g., Hamilton et al, 2002; Woo et al, 2004], major depression and bipolar disorders [e.g., Fahndrich et al, 1982; Massat et al, 2005], obsessive compulsive disorder [e.g., Karayiorgou et al, 1997, 1999; Niehaus et al, 2001], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [e.g., Eisenberg et al, 1999], and efficacy of response to L-Dopa in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease [e.g., Reilly et al, 1980; Rivera-Calimlim and Reilly, 1984; Bialecka et al, 2004]. Recent studies have also found association of COMT gene variants with differences in higher order functioning, including memory and specific cognitive tasks in patients with schizophrenia, other psychiatric disorders, brain injury, as well as in normal control subjects [Diamond et al, 2004; Goldberg and Weinberger, 2004; Weickert et al, 2004; de Frias et al, 2005; Lipsky et al, 2005; Reuter et al, 2005; Bertolino et al, 2006].…”

Biological Vulnerability to Depression: Replication of MAO and Evoked Potentials as Risk Factors

“…While the majority of recent studies have found high MAO in unipolars [20,[22][23][24][25] and their relatives [20] and low MAO in biopolars [3,26] and their relatives [27], contradictory results [28] and nonconfirmatory results [29] indicate the need of improving the strategy for understanding the precise relationship be tween MAO and psychiatric diagnosis.…”