Results indicate a main as well as a GxE effect of the COMT Val158Met variant and childhood maltreatment on the affect-modulated startle reflex, supporting a complex pathogenetic model of the affect-modulated startle reflex as a basic neurobiological defensive reflex potentially related to anxiety and affective disorders.
The COMT-V158M polymorphism was not associated with suicidal behavior in a Caucasian sample of mood disorder subjects, or with possible clinical or biological endophenotypes.