Abstract #0226

Altered Brain Development in Infants and Young Children with at Risk Genetics for Psychiatric Dysfunction

Justin Remer^1,2, Douglas C. Dean III³, Muriel Bruchhage^2,4, and Sean C.L. Deoni²

¹Brown University Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Providence, RI, United States, ²Memorial Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States, ³Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States, ⁴Center for Neuroimaging, King's College, London, United Kingdom

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphisms have been implicated as an important contributor to psychosis and cognitive differences. Such cognitive alterations may have a neurodevelopmental basis, however, the effect of COMT polymorphisms on early brain development are unclear. Here, we perform the first longitudinal study of differential cortical maturation in infants and young children ages 1 to 6 based on COMT genotype. We demonstrate altered rates of cortical development in the cingulate, frontal and temporal lobes in children with the rs46480 (Val/Met) genotype, suggesting the COMT genotype has an important impact on brain maturation.

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