Correlation between the presence of COMT Val158Met polymorphism and dopaminergic transporter density (DAT) in obese young women

• Grant number: 20/01136-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2021
• End date: January 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutritional Analysis of Population
• Principal Investigator: Vivian Marques Miguel Suen
• Grantee: Vivian Marques Miguel Suen
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity remains increasingly alarming in Brazil and worldwide. The most widely recommended therapy for obesity is lifestyle modification, however, implementing these changes that can lead to weight loss is difficult and maintaining long-term weight loss is even more challenging. Consequently, an academic effort is required to understand the pathophysiology and treat obesity for the establishment of new approaches to reducing food intake. Recent evidence in the field of obesity and brain-based integration indicates a potential for designing new therapeutic interventions. Noninvasive neuromodulation of brain activity has been shown to be a technique that can help reduce food cravings and food intake and, more recently, body weight, offering a new way to treat obesity. However, recent studies have shown that this biomedical intervention could have a paradoxical effect related to COMT Val158Met polymorphism, which impacts dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex. The potential mechanisms underlying this effect are unclear, and future studies are needed to promote this clarification. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the correlation between the presence of COMT Val158Met polymorphism and the density of dopaminergic transporters (DAT) in young obese women. (AU)