COMT-Val158Met polymorphism modulates antipsychotic effects on auditory verbal hallucinations and temporal lobe gray matter volumes in healthy individuals—symptom relief accompanied by worrisome volume reductions

• Published in: Brain imaging and behavior Vol. 14; no. 5; pp. 1373 - 1381
• Main Authors: Zhuo, Chuanjun, Cheng, Langlang, Li, Gongying, Xu, Yong, Jing, Rixing, Li, Shen, Zhang, Li, Lin, Xiaodong, Zhou, Chunhua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Antipsychotics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Catechol O-Methyltransferase - genetics; Gene polymorphism; Genotype; Genotype & phenotype; Genotyping; Gray Matter - diagnostic imaging; Gray Matter - drug effects; Hallucinations; Hallucinations - diagnostic imaging; Hallucinations - drug therapy; Hallucinations - genetics; Heterozygotes; Homozygotes; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mental disorders; Neuropsychology; Neuroradiology; Neurosciences; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Original Research; Polymorphism; Psychiatry; Psychotropic drugs; Schizophrenia; Signs and symptoms; Substantia grisea; Temporal Lobe; Hi-AVHs; Auditory verbal hallucination; COMT; MRI; Anti-psychotic
• ISSN: 1931-7557; 1931-7565; 1931-7565
• DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00043-5

Investigation of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenics is complicated by psychiatric symptoms. Investigating healthy individuals with AVHs (H-AVHs) can obviate such confounding factors. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of antipsychotic treatment on AVHs and gray matter volumes (GMVs) in H-AVH subjects and whether such are effects are influenced by COMT - Val158Met genotype. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and genotyping studies were completed for 42 H-AVH subjects and 42 well-matched healthy controls (HCs). COMT-Met/Met homozygotes (158th codon) were identified as COMT-Met genotype; COMT-Met/Val heterozygotes and COMT-Val/Val homozygotes were identified as COMT-Val genotype. Data were compared across groups (H-AVH vs. HC, and between genotypes) with two-sample t-tests. The H-AVH COMT-Met group showed a stronger response to antipsychotic treatment than the H-AVH COMT-Val group ( p  < 0.001). Both H-AVH genotype groups exhibited temporal lobe GMV reductions after treatment, and relative to their respective genotype-matched HC groups. Antipsychotic treatment effects in H-AVH subjects were influenced by COMT-Val158Met genotype and associated with widespread GMV reductions. These findings provide clues for further exploration of treatment targets for AVHs. Treatment associated GMV reductions, however, raise concerns about use of antipsychotics in H-AVH subjects.