5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met are not associated with alexithymia: New evidence and meta-analyses

Yafang Yang; Xiaohan Li; Jing Zhao; Mengying Xue; Mengfei Zhang; Chunlan Wang; Hongyu Song; Linlin He; Wenxuan Guo; Pingyuan Gong

doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.01.015

5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met are not associated with alexithymia: New evidence and meta-analyses

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2019 Jun 8:92:263-270. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.01.015. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ College of Life Science, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China.
² Institute of Population and Health, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China.
³ College of Life Science, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China; Institute of Population and Health, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China. Electronic address: gpy1026@nwu.edu.cn.

PMID: 30707988
DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.01.015

Abstract

Backgrounds: Alexithymia refers to the difficulties in identifying and describing one's own emotions, lacking of imagination, and an externally oriented thinking style. Studies up to date have examined the associations of 5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms with alexithymia. However, the previous findings were mixed.

Methods: We replicated the associations by scoring on alexithymia with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and genotyping the polymorphisms of 5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met in a large population of college students (N = 1698). Moreover, we also meta-analyzed the associations with five samples (N = 7517) for the 5-HTTLPR and with five samples (N = 2186) for the COMT Val158Met.

Results: Neither the replicated study nor the meta-analyses indicated the 5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met were associated with alexithymia.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that the 5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms are not associated with alexithymia. However, genetic-environmental studies with different ethnicity and psychopathology should be carried in future.

Keywords: Alexithymia; Dopamine; Meta-analysis; Replicated study; Serotonin.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Affective Symptoms / genetics*
Catechol O-Methyltransferase / genetics*
Female
Genetic Predisposition to Disease / genetics*
Genotype
Humans
Male
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / genetics
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / genetics*
Young Adult

Substances

Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
COMT protein, human
Catechol O-Methyltransferase