Point-of-Care Testing of Enzyme Polymorphisms for Predicting Hypnotizability and Postoperative Pain

Abstract

Hypnotizability is a stable trait that moderates the benefit of hypnosis for treating pain, but limited availability of hypnotizability testing deters widespread use of hypnosis. Inexpensive genotyping of four single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) gene was performed using giant magnetoresistive biosensors to determine if hypnotizable individuals can be identified for targeted hypnosis referrals. For individuals with the proposed optimal COMT diplotypes, 89.5% score highly on the Hypnotic Induction Profile (odds ratio,6.12; 95% CI,1.26-28.75), which identified 40.5% of the treatable population. Mean hypnotizability scores of the optimal group were significantly higher than the total population (P=0.015; effect size=0.60), an effect that was present in women (P=0.0015; effect size=0.83), but not in men (P=0.28). In an exploratory cohort, optimal individuals also reported significantly higher postoperative pain scores (P=0.00030; effect size=1.93), indicating a greater need for treatment.