This body of work has linked COMT genetic variation with a vast array of conditions, including several neurobehavioral disorders, pain sensitivity, and multiple human cancers.
Since pain syndromes as well as anxiety and depression are associated to low and high COMT activity respectively and these conditions are all associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) we wanted for the first time to explore the relationship between the polymorphism and IBS.
Increased insight into how genetic variants within the COMT locus affect pain perception will contribute to improved understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development of common human pain disorders and may lead to improved strategies for pain treatment.