Preliminary Evidence for a Positive Relation Between the COMT rs4680 Met/Met Genotype and Math Achievement.

Yaira Chamorro, Adriana P Mendizabal-Ruiz, Roberto A Abreu-Mendoza, J Alejandro Morales, María de Lourdes Ramírez-Dueñas, Esmeralda Matute

Developmental neuropsychology 2024 Apr-Jun

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To identify if COMT polymorphisms interact with executive functions as predictors of math skills, we assessed 38 adolescents (mean age = 16.4 ± 0.80 years, IQ > 80) from a larger study of high-school students screened for their mathematical abilities. Adolescents were genotyped for the COMT Val158Met polymorphism (grouped as Met/Met or Val-carriers) and completed the WRAT math achievement test, working-memory, inhibitory-control, and shifting tasks. Met/Met-carriers achieved higher WRAT scores than the Val-carriers (W = 229, p = .009). Genotype group was a moderate-to-strong predictor of WRAT scores (β = 0.56 to 0.74). No genotype/executive-function interaction was detected. Our findings suggest that the rs4680 Met/Met genotype is positively associated with math achievement.

Citation

Yaira Chamorro, Adriana P Mendizabal-Ruiz, Roberto A Abreu-Mendoza, J Alejandro Morales, María de Lourdes Ramírez-Dueñas, Esmeralda Matute. Preliminary Evidence for a Positive Relation Between the COMT rs4680 Met/Met Genotype and Math Achievement. Developmental neuropsychology. 2024 Apr-Jun;49(3):138-151