The association between COMT rs4680 and OPRM1 rs1799971 polymorphisms and temperamental traits in combat athletes

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse associations between functional polymorphisms in the COMT and OPRM1 genes and temperamental traits in athletes.The study involved 364 healthy men, aged 18 to 43years. 199 combat athletes participated in the experimental group. The control group consisted of 165 healthy men. All subjects were genotyped for common variants of the COMT and OPRM1 genes, and were included in a case-control study.Temperament was measured with the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour – Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI).The scores for temperament traits obtained by the athletes were lower with regard to perseveration and emotional reactivity, and higher with regard to endurance, when compared to the control group.When analysing the OPRM1 rs1799971 genotype in relation to temperamental traits, athletes carrying at least one minor G allele were characterized by higher sensitivity when compared with AA wild-type homozygotes. However, such an association was not observed in the controls. In the case of the COMT rs4680 variant studied, among the athletes, homozygous GG subjects were characterized by lower sensitivity, compared to the A allele carriers. On the other hand, AA homozygotes presented lower endurance than G allele carriers.