Association study between MAO-A gene promoter VNTR polymorphisms and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

A functional variant in the mono-amine oxidase-A (MAO-A) gene has been shown to affect neural function related to several mental disorders. Therefore, we would like to ascertain if MAO-A could be a candidate gene for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We genotyped 414 healthy subjects and 240 OCD patients and found no significant difference not only in allele frequencies in male patients (χ2=0.365, DF=1, P=0.545, odds ratio (OR)=1.139, confidence interval (CI)=0.75-1.74) but also in allele frequencies (χ2=0.698, DF=1, P=0.404, OR=0.849, CI=0.579-1.246) or genotypic frequencies (χ2=0.933, DF=2, P=0.627) in female patients between OCD patients and controls. Given that this is the first investigation of this gene in OCD in a Chinese Han population, further studies are required to obtain more definitive conclusions in a larger number of subjects. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.