Adverse childhood experience referring to parental relationship is associated with the risk of alcohol dependence and with COMT Val158Met polymorphism, but out of gene-environment interactions

Abstract

IntroductionGene-environment interactions (GxE) are considered to make a substantial impact on the risk of alcohol dependence (AD).ObjectivesThe aim of the study: to test the associations between the functional polymorphism Val158Met (rs6265) in the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene, affecting dopamine neurotransmission, and adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and their GxE interactions with AD risk.MethodsThe study included 149 AD inpatients (mean age 29.9 (SD=3.91), 16.1% females) and 201 healthy volunteers (23.3 (2.48), 30.1% females). The Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) was used for assessing ACE. COMT Val158Met polymorphism was detected by RT-PCR.ResultsFirst, COMT Val158Met polymorphism was associated only with adverse childhood experience referring o parental relationship (ACE-IQ), but differently in two groups. Healthy minor Met158 carriers have lower scores on the subscale “relationship with parents/guardians” (P) (p=0.025) and “physical neglect” (PN) (p=0.059) vs. homozygous Val158 carriers. However, AD patients - Met158carriers have a tendency to a higher score on the subscale “one or no parents, parental separation or divorce” (PSD) (p=0.078). Then logistic regression revealed associations of these ACE scores with increased AD risk: P (p=0.001, OR=1.186, 95%CI [1.069-1.315]), PN (p=0.024, OR=1.254, 95%CI [1.030-1.526]), and PSD (p=0.016, OR=1.499, 95%CI [1.080-2.082]). No associations of COMT Val158Met alone or in interactions with these ACE-IQ scores with the AD risk were found.ConclusionsAdverse childhood experience referring to parental relationship is associated with alcohol dependence risk and separately with COMT Val158Met, but no clear interactions in frame of GxE has been supported.DisclosureNo significant relationships.