Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38341445›Full record

Trial reportScientific reports2024

The influence of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism on prefrontal TDCS effects on aggression.

Carmen Weidler, Lena Hofhansel, Christina Regenbogen, Dario Müller, Benjamin Clemens, Christian Montag, Andreas Reif, Ute Habel

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Carmen WeidlerDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. cweidler@ukaachen.de.ORCID 0000-0002-6547-2776
Lena HofhanselDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Christina RegenbogenDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Dario MüllerDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Benjamin ClemensDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Christian MontagDepartment of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8112-0837
Andreas ReifDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
Ute HabelDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
RWTH Aachen University · DEJülich Aachen Research Alliance · DEGoethe University Frankfurt · DEUniversitätsklinikum Aachen · DEUniversität Ulm · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Increasing dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) enhances cognitive control and might reduce aggression. The Val158Met polymorphism within the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene (rs4680) plays a pivotal role in prefrontal dopamine signaling, displaying associations with aggressive behavior, and potentially influencing the effects of tDCS. In a double-blind, sham-controlled study, we investigated the influence of rs4680 on tDCS effects on aggression. While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, 89 healthy male participants performed the Taylor aggression paradigm before and immediately after tDCS. Actively stimulated participants (n = 45) received anodal tDCS (1.5 mA) for 20 min targeting the right DLPFC. Carriers of the val-allele (val+; n = 46; active tDCS n = 23) were compared to met-allele homozygotes (val-; n = 43; active tDCS n = 22). Analysis revealed decreased aggressive behavior in the val- group following active tDCS (p < 0.001). The val+ group showed increased aggression during the second session (p < 0.001) with an even higher increase following active as compared to sham tDCS (p < 0.001). No effects of stimulation or rs4680 on brain activation were found. Our study provides evidence for opposite tDCS effects on aggressive behavior in val-carriers and val-noncarriers. By shedding light on genetic factors predicting tDCS responsivity, the study will help to pave the way toward individualized-and thus more effective-tDCS treatment options.

Indexed as

Transcranial Direct Current StimulationAggressionCatechol O-MethyltransferaseDouble-Blind MethodHumansMalePolymorphism, GeneticPrefrontal CortexCatechol O-MethyltransferaseCOMT protein, human

Identifiers

PMID38341445
PMCPMC10858895
OpenAlexW4391720249

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.