%0 Journal Article
%T Efectos del polimorfismo Val108/158Met del gen dopamin¨¦rgico Catecol-O-metil transferasa COMT en las funciones ejecutivas de preescolares
%A Carla Sandoval
%A Feggy Ostrosky
%J Revista Chilena de Neuropsicologia
%D 2012
%I Universidad de La Frontera
%R 10.5839/rcnp.2012.0703.04
%X The level of DA in the prefrontal cortex has been related to the performance on executive functions (EF). The objective of this study was to explore the effect of the COMT polymorphism (Val/Val, Val/Met, Met/Met) in the performance of EF in a population of preschool children. All subjects were evaluated with a Neuropsychological Battery and genomic DNA was extracted according to standard methodology (N=248) from 3 to 6 years of age (M=4.6). We studied genotypic frequencies of the COMT gene and an analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) with post hoc analysis, establishing significant differences at p<0.05. In Children with a low activity polymorphism Met/Met scored significantly better in relation to the children with polymorphism Val/Val in tests requiring inhibition and children with high activity polymorphism Val/Val had better performance on tests related to working memory, planning and abstraction that children with polymorphism Met/Met and Val/Met. These results seem to reflect the role of COMT enzyme as a regulator of DA and that both hypermetabolism and hypometabolism has important implications for the EF.
%K executive functions
%K dopamine
%K COMT
%K genetic
%K children
%U http://www.neurociencia.cl/dinamicos/articulos/64590-rcnp2012v7n3-4.pdf