Influence of COMT genotype and affective distractors on the processing of self-generated thought.

ABSTRACT: The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme is a major determinant of prefrontal dopamine levels. The Val(158)Met polymorphism affects COMT enzymatic activity and has been associated with variation in executive function and affective processing. This study investigated the effect of COMT genotype on the flexible modulation of the balance between processing self-generated and processing stimulus-oriented information, in the presence or absence of affective distractors. Analyses included 124 healthy adult participants, who were also assessed on standard working memory (WM) tasks. Relative to Val carriers, Met homozygotes made fewer errors when selecting and manipulating self-generated thoughts. This effect was partly accounted for by an association between COMT genotype and visuospatial W

SUBMITTER: Kilford EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4305337 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature