Catechol-O-methyltransferase and dopamine receptor D4 gene variants: Possible association with substance abuse in Bangladeshi male.

ABSTRACT: Genetic risk of substance abuse is encoded mainly by central neurochemical pathways(mostly dopaminergic system) related to reinforcement and reward. In this study a functionalpolymorphism in Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) (Val158Met) and the Dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) (120 bp tandem duplication) has been studied in substance abused subjects. The study was carried out with 183 substance abused subjects and 175 healthy persons with no history of substance abuse. DNA was extracted and polymorphisms were analyzed using allele-specific PCR. The impact of these two polymorphisms was also analyzed on addictive characteristics (age of starting abuse, a pattern of drug habit, and period of addiction). It was found that only the heterozygous variant of COMT polymorphism (Val/Met) (p<0.05,

SUBMITTER: Sonia JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7864466 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature