COMT基因与青少年抑郁症关系的研究进展

Research progress on the relationship between COMT gene and adolescent de pression

抑郁症是最常见的精神障碍,也是造成全球年轻人疾病负担的主要原因。青春期是童年和成年之间的发育过渡期,身体和大脑及生物系统发生显著变化,抑郁症经常出现在青春期,成为威胁青少年身心健康乃至生命的重要问题。但这种疾病的病理生理学仍不清楚,根据当前药物治疗所依据的单胺假说,抑郁症是由大脑中的单胺(血清素、多巴胺、去甲肾上腺素)神经传递系统功能障碍引起的。其中多巴胺基因系统中的儿茶酚-O-甲基转移酶(COMT)基因可参与降解多巴胺、去甲肾上腺素和肾上腺素,且随着发育而发生变化,进而参与到青少年抑郁症的发生发展中。

Depression is the most common mental disorder and a leading cause of dise ase burden among young people worldwide.Adolescence is a developmental transition period between childhood and adulthood,with significant changes in the body,brain and biological system.Depression often appears in adolescence,becoming an important problem threatening the physical and mental health and even life of adolescents.But the pathophysiology of the disease remains unclear,and according to the monoamine hypothesis on which current drug treatments are based,depression is caused by dysfunction of the monoamine(serotonin,dopamine,norepinephrine)neurotransmitter system in the brain.Among them,the catechol-O-methyltransferase(COMT)gene in the dopamine gene system can participate in the degradation of dopamine,norepinephrine and epinephrine,and change with development,and then participate in the occurrence and development of adolescent depression.