The COMT Val158Met polymorphism is associated with novelty seeking in Czech methamphetamine abusers: Preliminary results

Abstrakt

Objectives: Measurable traits of human personality may mark the predispostion to psychopathology. Increase novelty seeking plays an important role in the pathogenesis of substance abuse.

Novelty seeking, one of the fundamental traits of the human temperament, is relate to dopamine. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is essential for dopamine inactivation.

The aim of our study was to assess whether the COMT gene Val158Met functional polymorphism in patients dependent on methamphetamine is related to their novelty siiking score.