ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2015 October;174(10):475-82

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

The influences of Val158Met polymorphism in the catechol-o-methyl transferase (COMT) gene on muscular strength and psychological factors in divers

Kim H. ¹, Lee J. K. ^{2, 3}

¹ Department of Health Promotion and Exercise, Daegu University, Kyungsan‑City, Korea; ² Department of Leisure and Sports, Sahmyook University, Seoul Korea; ³ Research Institute of Behavior, Physical Fitness and Medicine, Sahmyook University, Seoul, Korea

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare muscular strength and personality trait of Korean controls and divers, and analyze the influences of the Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene.
METHODS: A total of unrelated seventy individuals including 40 controls and 30 divers were included in this study, and body composition, muscular strength and personality trait measured from each participant. Total genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood of each participant, and the Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene analyzed by using SNaPshot method.
RESULTS: Generally, divers indicated comparatively better body composition and muscular strength factors than controls (p < 0.05). With respect to personality trait, divers indicated comparatively higher reward sependence and lower novelty seeking scores compared with controls (p < 0.05). However, the Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene was not significantly associated with any muscular strength and personalty trait parameters in our subjects.
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene may not significantly contribute to the inter-individual difference on muscular strength and personality trait of divers. Further works using various candidate genes and larger sample size need to perform to clarify the genetic role on muscular strength and personality of divers.