Abstract
Aging is associated with deficits in several cognitive domains as well as a decline in brain dopamine activity. Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT), an enzyme involved in the degradation of dopamine, is a critical determinant of the availability of this neurotransmitter in the prefrontal cortex. A functional single nucleotide polymorphism in the COMT gene, Val158Met, modulates the activity of this enzyme and affects cognition and the brain regions underlying this function. The effects of COMT Val158Met polymorphism are magnified in the aging brain. Here, we review the evidence supporting a role of COMT genetic variation in cognitive as well as structural and functional brain changes associated with senescence. We will address the potential modulatory role of genetic and non-genetic factors on the neural and cognitive effects of COMT Val158Met in late life. Furthermore, we will discuss the viability of a COMT-targeted treatment for improving cognitive efficiency in aging.
Keywords: Catechol-O-methyl transferase, dopamine, aging, cognition, catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitors, COMT Inhibitors, COMT, Working memory, functional magnetic resonance imaging, Dopamine transporter, val158Met, BDNF-Met, ACE Inhibitors
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets
Title:Catechol-O-Methyl Transferase Modulates Cognition in Late Life: Evidence and Implications for Cognitive Enhancement
Volume: 11 Issue: 3
Author(s): Fabio Sambataro, Maria Pennuto and Robert Christian Wolf
Affiliation:
Keywords: Catechol-O-methyl transferase, dopamine, aging, cognition, catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitors, COMT Inhibitors, COMT, Working memory, functional magnetic resonance imaging, Dopamine transporter, val158Met, BDNF-Met, ACE Inhibitors
Abstract: Aging is associated with deficits in several cognitive domains as well as a decline in brain dopamine activity. Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT), an enzyme involved in the degradation of dopamine, is a critical determinant of the availability of this neurotransmitter in the prefrontal cortex. A functional single nucleotide polymorphism in the COMT gene, Val158Met, modulates the activity of this enzyme and affects cognition and the brain regions underlying this function. The effects of COMT Val158Met polymorphism are magnified in the aging brain. Here, we review the evidence supporting a role of COMT genetic variation in cognitive as well as structural and functional brain changes associated with senescence. We will address the potential modulatory role of genetic and non-genetic factors on the neural and cognitive effects of COMT Val158Met in late life. Furthermore, we will discuss the viability of a COMT-targeted treatment for improving cognitive efficiency in aging.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Sambataro Fabio, Pennuto Maria and Christian Wolf Robert, Catechol-O-Methyl Transferase Modulates Cognition in Late Life: Evidence and Implications for Cognitive Enhancement, CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets 2012; 11 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152712800672463
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152712800672463 |
Print ISSN 1871-5273 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1996-3181 |
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Signaling Pathways Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery The CNS Melanocortin System: A Biological Weapon Against the Threat of Obesity
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Central Nervous System Agents The Risk that DSM-5 will Result in a Misallocation of Scarce Resources
Current Psychiatry Reviews Expression of Opioid Receptors During Peripheral Inflammation
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry In Silico and 3D QSAR Studies of Natural Based Derivatives as Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitors
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Application of Kinase Inhibitors for Anti-aging Intervention
Current Pharmaceutical Design A Novel Assay Platform for the Detection of Translation Modulators of Spermidine/ Spermine Acetyltransferase
Current Pharmaceutical Design Alzheimer’s Disease Risk and Progression: The Role of Nutritional Supplements and their Effect on Drug Therapy Outcome
Current Neuropharmacology Physicochemical Strategies for Inhibition of Amyloid Fibril Formation: An Overview of Recent Advances
Current Medicinal Chemistry Neurodegeneration in Niemann-Pick Type C Disease and Huntingtons Disease: Impact of Defects in Membrane Trafficking
Current Drug Targets Effect of Replacing Phenylalanine Residues by Para-Substituted Phenylalanines on the Aggregation Behavior of Aβ16-22
Protein & Peptide Letters Editorial [ Hot topic: Aquaporins and Nervous System: from Bench to Bedside (Guest Editors: Rita Rezzani and Luigi F. Rodella) ]
Current Neuropharmacology Complexity in Clinical Trials: Blind Spots, Misleading Criteria, Winners and Losers
Clinical Cancer Drugs Modulation of Dopamine Transmission by 5HT2C and 5HT3 Receptors: A Role in the Antidepressant Response
Current Drug Targets The JAK-STAT Pathway: A Therapeutic Target in Hematological Malignancies
Current Cancer Drug Targets Cognition-Enhancing Drugs in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimers Disease (AD): An Update [1]
Medicinal Chemistry Reviews - Online (Discontinued) A New “Era” for the α7-nAChR
Current Drug Targets Microwave-assisted Formation of Organic Disulfides of Biochemical Significance
Current Medicinal Chemistry Intron-specific Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Fat Mass and Obesity- Associated Gene in Obese and Overweight Individuals of the Indian Adult Population- A Pilot Study
Current Diabetes Reviews Synthesis of 8,10-disubstituted-triazoloperimidines from (E)-3-(dimethylamino)-1-(8- phenyl-8H-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]perimidin-10-yl)prop-2-en-1-one and Their Antimicrobial Activity
Current Organic Synthesis